


Inverted Perceptions

by RaphaelsDaughter



Series: Compare and Contrast the Following [1]
Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: All is not as it Appears to be, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Characters watching Films, Drama, F/M, Full Description of Movies!, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash, Self-Discovery, Team Bonding, Thor (2011) - Freeform, movie!verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-08-16
Packaged: 2017-12-23 14:05:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 66,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/927368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaphaelsDaughter/pseuds/RaphaelsDaughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. The Avengers watch the movie ‘Thor’. Now, in knowing Loki, they begin to wonder at the motivation for his most recent actions, and who else was involved in directing the Chitauri army.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Opening

**Author's Note:**

> This will contain the _full descriptions_ of the movies! You can try to skip it if you'd like, but you're going to have to back-track whenever the team comments on something.  
>  Start's a bit slow, but commentary and reactions pick up as the story goes along.

Tony stretched his arms over his head with a groan, rolling his shoulders from his position propped up against the pillows of one of the beds in the Helicarrier’s medical wing. They may have been uncomfortable compared to the thousand-dollar custom-kings in any of his bedrooms, but after such an exhausting battle saving humanity from enslavement he wasn’t going to complain. Much.

He had one of his touch-screens set up on his lap, legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. There weren’t any doctors bustling around him anymore, most likely working to patch up all of the SHIELD agents who were injured when Loki attacked the Helicarrier the day before. Crazed Asgardian was once again locked in the Hulk’s ‘cage’, wrists cuffed and chained and mouth gagged. Bondage looked good on him; of course, that may only be because Tony appreciated the god’s silence. 

All of the Avengers were injured and exhausted, but only the two assassins and Tony were forced into medical. Steve and Thor were healing already and were aiding the SHIELD agents in the city with organizing the civilians, answering the press, and planning how they were going to go about damage control. Bruce was helping out with the damage on the Helicarrier as well as in medical, and as soon as Clint and Natasha had been bandaged up they were off and helping out as well. Tony was the only one taking the advice of the medical professionals and resting - though not out of deference to their expertise.

After their little group had gone out for shwarma, he’d had to fly back to his tower so to exchange his arc reactor for a fresh one (and didn’t that just sound like having to pop in new batteries intermittently). He felt more comfortable with another in his chest though, one that hadn’t experienced the suppression of outer space, even though it had flickered back on in the end. He was planning on analyzing it once he got back to his lab to see what ultimately caused it to crash; that information would be vital in creating a gold-titanium alloy space-suit. 

He also had to escape the doctors, as he was perfectly fine – only tired, and talk down Pepper once she’d managed to get a hold of him.

_“Just some bumps and bruises, really,” he tried to assure the doctors and nurses forcing him down onto the hospital bed. “I hate doctors,” he stated pointedly towards the doctor who appeared to be in charge, issuing instructions, wearing a white lab coat, and holding a clipboard. He barely acknowledged Tony’s comment with a glance before restraining his torso while a brunette nurse inspected the pattern of bruising on his back before liberally applying a salve._

_There were nameless agents being treated in beds alongside him, though apparently Clint and Natasha had been able to escape almost instantly. “Could I get a private room, at least? What if I have agoraphobia? Or demophobia? That sort of stressful environment wouldn’t help with my recovery, you know.”_

_“I seriously doubt your claims of having a fear of crowded places or crowds,” the doctor absentmindedly retorted with a sigh, jotting Tony’s injuries down on the papers in front of him._

_“Maybe not fear, but I have a definite dislike of people poking and prodding me in a noisy room filled with secret agents and assassins with unknown motivations that may very well result in panic attacks,” Tony drawled with exaggerated paranoid glances around him._

_Bruce had entered the room and caught his last statement, causing him to roll his eyes and sigh in annoyance as he approached him. “How long have you been here – five minutes? – and you’re already terrorizing the staff.”_

_“It’s SHIELD, what do you want me to do?” Tony asked with a smirk, darting teasing glances around at the doctor and nurses surrounding him with frustrated expressions before returning his attention to Bruce. “You’re a doctor – tell them I need a private room so to heal properly.”_

_He gave a sigh, as he muttered, “I’m not actually a doctor,” before turning to address the man in charge of Tony and asking, “He won’t need to be monitored, will he?”_

_“No, he only has extensive bruising, a few cracked ribs, and a sprained ankle. Once we’ve bandaged and braced him, he only needs to be mindful of his injuries,” he answered._

_“Then once you’re done I’ll help him into the next room so he’ll be out of your way.”_

_Tony scrunched his nose and glared at Bruce at the slight, crossing his arms across his chest and scoffing, “I’m not taking up much space, unlike a certain Jolly Green Giant I know...” Bruce sighed again._

_It took another twenty minutes for the nurses to finish covering all of the bruising, to wrap his torso so to restrict movement and stress on his ribs, and to brace his left ankle, then he was hobbling out of the room to the relieved looks of the medical staff. Bruce was on his left side and had an arm around his back and had pulled Tony’s left arm across his shoulders to help support his weight. They navigated out of the room and into the corridor, ducking into the next doorway and entering a long room filled with a row of hospital beds. “This is dreary,” Tony stated, but was thankful for the calm and stillness._

_“I’m sure you won’t be bothered; the agents already know how you are,” Bruce said with a small smirk, lowering Tony onto one of the beds. Tony opened his mouth to reply but snapped it shut upon hearing a hysterical female voice from the hall. Bruce turned to the door just as it was thrown open by a teary redhead._

_“Er, Pep-” Tony started only to be cut off as she threw herself at him and sobbed into his shoulder, cursing him in between breaths. He cast a pleading look towards Bruce as he gingerly wrapped his arms around her, but he only looked uncomfortable and sidled out of the room._

_“You aggravating, infuriating, impossible man, how could you sacrifice yourself like that?” she wailed, weakly hitting his shoulder as she pulled away to sit at his side._

_“No word of thanks for saving the world?” he joked lightly. She glared at him through her tears and his grin softened. “Hey,” he reassured, “I’m alright. I’m right here, okay?”_

_“Idiotic hero,” she choked out, lying back down against his side and clutching onto him._

_He really couldn’t do much in way of assuring her that it was all okay. He had gotten involved in so many uncertain situations and had had to risk his life over and over again once becoming Iron Man, and he knew it was only going to get worse and be harder for her now that the Avengers were now more or less official. So he held her close._

He sighed and sifted through SHIELD’s information on the Avengers that he still had access to. Fury knew that he had access to it, but fortunately there were larger problems for him to deal with. Once their firewalls were redone he’d have to have JARVIS hack into the database again, but for now he was able to amusedly note that they had several documents already in progress on how the Avengers would operate and some drafts of the contract they would have to sign. SHIELD was neurotic about paperwork.

He yawned and blinked blearily, moving to set the screen he’d been working on onto the seat of the chair by the head of his bed. He paused in confusion, screen still held aloft as his tired mind struggled to comprehend the plastic case sitting on the chair. He tried to recall Pepper leaving the item when she’d left to grab some food for them from the cafeteria, but couldn’t find a purpose in that. He twisted with a pained grunt and reached to snatch the unassuming case, replacing its spot on the chair with his computer screen.

It was a DVD case.

Anti-climatic, considering he had no knowledge of it appearing. He leaned back and pried it open, furrowing his brow when there was no title or design on the movie’s disc. Of course, there wasn’t any indication of the DVD’s content on the cover either, so he wasn’t sure what he expected. He pulled out the folded sheet of paper on the inside and mouthed the words as he read in bewilderment.

_Avengers,_  
 _It is required that you assemble for the duration of this disc. It will play only when the addressed group is present, pausing whenever one of you speaks aloud so to provide you time to absorb the information being presented to you. Any cameras attempting to record the images will only register blurred and skewed video unable to be cleared and enhanced._  
 _A select few other individuals may watch as well, but if your decisions as to who to trust with this delicate information are unwise then the disc will not play._  
 _This will enlighten you as to the events that took place on Asgard before and after the situation in New Mexico with Thor, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, and Erik Selvig. It should also show you Loki’s motivation for the abandonment of his homeland, Asgard, and hopefully direct you to ask the correct questions regarding his affiliation and ‘control’ of the Chitauri when he moved to take over the planet._  
 _Good luck._

“Cryptic,” Tony said, brown eyes shining and a grin across his face. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and rushed (as fast as he was able with straining ribs and a limp) out of the room and down the corridor, boarding the elevator and rising to the bridge. 

* * *

“So this just appeared at your bedside?” Agent Hill asked skeptically.

“Hey, I’ve already checked your security footage – it legitimately appeared out of thin air,” Tony said with a shrug, idly spinning side to side in an office chair. Bruce, Clint, Natasha, and he were seated around a small conference table, Nick Fury standing imposingly in front of them and Agent Hill pacing in confused frustration with her arms crossed across her chest.

SHIELD agents were analyzing the disc. They ran it through x-ray, thermo-imaging, and then various chemical tests first, apparently under the impression that it could be a bomb or drenched in poison or some other threat. Now they were scouring through their security footage through different lenses to try and discern the origin of the disc, as well as analyzing the disc itself. True to the brief letter, it wouldn’t allow itself to be played in front of the wrong audience (nameless SHIELD agents) – Fury had already sent out summons to Steve and Thor.

“I’ve had just about enough of this alien magic crap,” Fury stated with a fierce frown. “It’s probably Loki trying to pull something.”

“He looks all trussed up to me,” Tony rebuked. “Besides, he hasn’t done the whole lengthy villain-rant explaining his lot in life to try and gain pity-followers. He wants a shit-load of attention, sure – but he’s not sharing anything personal.”

“We don’t know if this is going to offer us answers. It might be a trap to sabotage the Helicarrier’s systems,” Clint offered.

“-they’re down right now anyways-” Tony inserted.

“Can we afford to pass on this oppourtunity though? The end of the letter,” Bruce began, “hinted at Loki not being the one calling the shots. If he had an accomplice then there’s someone else who might attack later on.”

Steve and Thor had arrived on the Helicarrier and had been debriefed on the situation, then directed to one of the conference rooms adjacent to the bridge. They had entered right before Bruce had spoken. 

“I never believed that my brother was directing the army of Chitauri. He is skilled with his words, but not so talented as to commandeer a force of that magnitude if there was no prior thought to an attack against Midgard,” Thor explained, adding, “He also spoke of being shown the power of the Tesseract.”

“Why don’t we just work on getting the answer out of him then?” Agent Hill suggested.

“He won’t talk,” Natasha stated.

“If this video is going to be following Loki on Asgard while Thor was in New Mexico, how is it going to tell us anything about his connection with the Chitauri?” Steve asked.

“It’s doubtful it will. The letter only said that it would help us with the questions we should be asking,” Fury answered.

“Could provide us with blackmail material,” Natasha argued. “That might pry some answers out of him.”

Fury cast his eye around to assess each of their thoughts, before adopting an expression of resignation and arranging for the DVD to be returned to them. The Avengers and Agent Hill all settled back into their chairs as they were shut off from the rest of the agents. “If we all die, I’m coming after you, Stark,” Fury threatened as he entered the disc into the computer system.

He took a seat as a large screen was projected onto the white wall, showing a starry sky. They all leaned forward in anticipation as it became apparent that the disc was simply a DVD. Agent Hill stood to quickly reach over and turn off the lights before resuming her seat.

_The camera panned down from a shot of the starry sky to show a truck in the distance, parked in the middle of the desert swathed in the dark of night, the beams of its headlights the only illumination. At the bottom of the screen it’s noted that they’re in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico._

_The view on screen changes to show the inside of the vehicle where a brunette types something quickly into the laptop in front of her, surrounded by screens and scientific equipment._

“That is Lady Jane!” Thor exclaimed excitedly.

“Why are they showing what’s happening on Earth? That’s not going to give us any leverage,” Natasha muttered.

“Shh,” Bruce hushed so the screen could resume.

_Amongst the various whirring machines sat Erik Selvig, watching the images on the computer. Jane continues to type in information and monitor the screen while the camera moves to show an exasperated Darcy seated in the driver’s seat. The headlights on the truck switch off as Jane and Erik clamber to stand up through the sunroof in the back, hauling up a piece of sensory equipment._

_Jane holds a panel which is cycling through data readings, and the two look up at the sky, waiting for something. Erik looks at Jane when nothing happens, and she says, “Wait for it...” She turns her hopeful gaze back to the sky as Darcy sighs and asks if she can turn on the radio, which Jane refuses._

_A few more seconds pass without any activity in the sky, and Erik turns to her and says, “Jane, you can’t keep doing this.”_

_They both duck back into the truck as she frantically flips through a small notebook, stating in frustration, “The last seventeen occurrences have been predictable to the second.”_

_“Jane, you’re an astrophysicist, not a storm chaser,” Erik protests, Jane checking the monitors again in aggravation._

_“I’m telling you, there’s a connection between these atmospheric disturbances and my research,” she argues. The screen switches to show Darcy, who begins to straighten in disbelief at something in the sky as Jane continues, “Erik, I wouldn’t have asked you to fly out here if I wasn’t absolutely sure.” It switches back to Jane to show her disappointment as she leans back, before showing Darcy again as she calls, “Jane, I think you want to see this.”_

_Jane turns to look out the window and the clouds are shining in the sky, the darkness dispersing in streaks as green, blue, and pink gleam. “What is that?” she asks, her and Erik scrambling to stand through the sunroof in amazement. The clouds shift and swirl as gold and purple join the array of colours that begin to shine brighter._

_“I thought you said it was a subtle aurora,” Erik says in wonder._

_“Go!” Jane urges and Darcy hurriedly starts the engine and drives toward the mass of radiant clouds which are circling faster in the sky. They speed carelessly over bumps as Jane throws herself into the front seat and holds a video camera out the window to document the event. “Get closer,” she says._

_“Right, good one,” Darcy scoffs._

_“Go!” Jane commands again._

_They speed over the hard desert terrain and Jane laughs at the fantastical experience. The screen changes to show the event through Jane’s camcorder, the swirling mass of clouds registering in yellows and reds though thermo-imaging as it gathers and spirals downwards, crashing into the ground. There’s bright pink and purples as well as streaks of black at the impact, the screen switching to show the three in the truck as they gasp and exclaim in amazement at the shockwave that resulted._

_The dark clouds plume outwards at ground level, obscuring the impression on the ground, Darcy slowing the truck as they enter the confusion. She jerks the steering wheel to the left to get some distance between the vehicle and perceived natural disaster, and Jane shrieks, “What are you doing?”_

“Avoiding death, obviously,” Clint remarks, getting a glare from Natasha for interrupting the scene.

“You guys have all this data, right? ‘Cause I think I’d like to look at it,” Tony said. Bruce nodded.

Fury glared. “Shut up.”

_“I am not dying for six college credits!” Darcy yells through the gusts of the storm. Jane leans over and grabs the wheel, jerking it back to the right and towards the churning mass. They alternate emitting short screams as they wrestle for control of the vehicle._

_Above, thunder crashes and lightning strikes, the vortex gaining momentum as an immeasurable spectrum of colour swirls and beams down within the thick clouds, impacting the earth with a resounding smash and an azure explosion. Jane strengthens her fight for control of the wheel and wrenches it towards her, before they see a dark shape in front of them. They scream, Darcy slams on the brakes, and the truck swerves, but they still clip the shadowed figure._

_They spin and skid to a stop in a cloud of sand, all three staring slack-jawed at each other in shock before ripping off their seat belts and jumping out of the truck. They have flashlights in hand as they run to the figure lying on the ground, Darcy stating in defense, “I think that was legally your fault.”_

_“Get the first-aid kit,” Jane orders as she kneels down, addressing the man’s prone form, “Do me a favour and don’t be dead.”_

_Erik stands and looks on, then a close-up of Jane occupies the screen as she pleads, the lingering wind brushing her hair. The man stirs as the camera zooms out, Erik and Darcy watching him as he lies on the edge of an intricately designed circle._

_Jane looks around at the now cloudless atmosphere and wonders, “Where did he come from?”_

_The screen turns black._

“This is wasting my time,” Fury stated.

Steve nodded. “I thought it was supposed to be showing us what was happening on Asgard.”

“Maybe it’s setting it up. There are specific camera angles chosen – it’s not formatted like it was one person documenting events, it’s more like an actual film,” Bruce proposed.

“It’ll be building to the important plot points then,” Tony added.

“It is very odd to be watching these events from outside my own perspective,” Thor mused.

“Well yeah, Big Guy – you’re going to actually be able to watch what others were doing at the same time you were doing whatever you were doing,” Tony cried in excitement.

Thor nodded. “It is interesting to see what Lady Jane was doing out on the plains of sand before I was exiled to the surface of Midgard and looked up into her dazzling face.” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“Does anyone else find it funny that they hit Thor with a truck?” Clint interjected to laughter and smirking. 

_The screen faded in from black, zooming in on a village at night with small thatched houses clustered together under the shadows of the towering mountains on either side. At the bottom of the screen it was stated that this was Tonsberg, Norway; 965 A.D._

“...did we just travel back in time?” Tony wondered aloud.

“This timeline is confusing,” Bruce stated with furrowed brows.

“I’m sure it’ll piece together?” Steve assured, though it ended up sounding like a question.

_**“Once, mankind accepted a simple truth: that they were not alone in this universe,”** a deep voice intoned._

Tony recoiled. “What’s this now, narration?”

“That is the formidable voice of Odin Allfather,” Thor boomed with pride.

Recalling how his full title was ‘Thor Odinson’, Tony quickly made the connection. “I can see where you get your vocals from,” he drawled as he lifted a hand to massage the ear assaulted by the god’s voice. Considering they would most likely be spending a lot of time with Thor, he thought he should do some research on Norse Mythology.

_**“Some worlds, man believed to be home to their gods,”** he continued. The screen showed the dirt streets filled with people milling about: men with thick beards moving crates of goods, a young mother and her daughter strolling with smiles as they gazed up at the stars. They all slowed to a stop._

_**“Others, they knew to fear.”**_

_A pale blue swirl of mist howled as it plunged from the clouds above to the ground, the barren land sloping upward to show an army of bare-chested, sapphire skinned giants. **“From a realm of cold and darkness came the Frost Giants,”** he explained, the giant at the front of the legion using the power of a pale, frosty, blue prism to freeze the waters, solidify and crumble the wood of men’s boats, and cover the land in cracked, sharp glaciers, **“threatening to plunge the mortal world into a new ice age.”** Men, women, and children screamed in panic as they ran, the claws of the ice chasing them until their bodies were overtaken mid-stride to become nothing more than stalagmites of frost. The giants charged and roared, their arms turning into icicles three feet long as they leapt and gored the remaining bodies in their path._

“My God,” Steve breathed, his pulse quick and pounding in his ears as he tried to suppress the shudders coursing through his limbs. He wrapped his arms around himself discreetly, consciously working to calm his breathing.

_The clouds in the sky shifted again, spinning and descending in a thick mass of grey surrounding infinite beams of bright, overwhelming colour. **“But humanity would not face this threat alone,”** he promised, a tall, sturdy, bearded man standing against the onslaught. He was covered from head to toe in glistening metal armour, a dark, thick cape attached to his shoulders, an aggressive horned helmet with wings bracing the sides sitting atop his head, and a spear in hand. He stood in front of rows upon rows of tall, golden gilded warriors with various weapons in hand, ready to fight._

_The two forces faced off against each other, the man’s sharp blue eyes piercing the lead giant’s crimson, before they all at once charged with impassioned war cries. There was the clang of metal and the crackle of ice as they collided, each warrior stabbing, lunging, swinging, swerving, moving to strike any hit that he could for his king. Giants were clubbed, speared, thrown, and men were stabbed, clawed, torn apart._

_The Jötunn King, Laufey, snarled and swept a wave of ice over those in front of him, shattering them with a triumphant scream. He formed spiked projectiles in his hands out of ice, hurling them so they pierced the skulls of his enemies. Odin, Allfather of the Æsir, held out his spear and a stream of molten fire shot out of the tip, tearing and burning the bodies of the giants._

_**“Our armies drove the Frost Giants back into the heart of their own world,”** Odin concluded, the desolate, bleak, and frozen realm of Jötunheim spinning to show the surface, stone pillars and buildings corroded and fallen. **“The cost was great; in the end, their king fell.”** Atop a bare, tapered, stone castle a spear was held against the fallen Laufey’s throat by Odin, whose right eye was gored and bloody._

_**“And the source of their power was taken from them.”** A warrior of Odin’s guard, armoured and wearing a horned helmet, stepped up to take the carved, pale blue prism from its alter._

“That’s going to come back and bite them in the ass,” Tony muttered.

_**“When the last great war ended, we withdrew from the other worlds and returned home,”** he said, the Bifrost a swirl of magnificent colour as it swept from the planet of Jötunheim, through the clouds, **“to the realm eternal: Asgard.”** The clouds hovered and swept around the caps of mountains and the open seas surrounding, the mountains approaching until it was clear that the tips of the crags were formed of raw crystals. Then they were upturned, forming the base of the realm._

_Clear, deep waters ebbed between large rocky gorges; tall, cylindrical buildings of rich metals and gold were crafted into the rock faces; lush trees and broad statues dotted the courtyards and gardens; pure, sparkling, rivulets of water poured out of glistening fountains; intricate and decorative machinery floated, spun, and flashed in the light of the sun. A sprawling, golden city of elaborate, overlaid spherical shapes led up to a colossal palace – dozens of cylindrical segments arranged into a pyramid whose tip stretched into the clouds._

“Holy shit,” Clint expressed at the vision of Asgard, Steve only managing a sputtered choke at the sight. “You live there?”

Thor grinned in delight, nodding and answering, “Yes, that is my home.”

“I could get used to a place like that,” Tony offered.

“You’re unbearable with the wealth you have now – I would undoubtedly kill you if you were allowed such excess,” Natasha stated.

_The massive, golden statues of armed, horned warriors lined a concaved walkway where the Æsir meandered into and out of the palace district._

_**“And here we remain as a beacon of hope, shining out across the stars,”** he declared, the view sailing over the peaks of the buildings and the bridges between them._

_**“And though we’ve fallen into man’s myths and legends, it was Asgard and its warriors that brought peace to the universe,”** he finished. Odin walked through the dim halls lit by candlelight, his right hand gripped by a young blond wearing a scarlet vest and his left by a raven haired boy wearing green, both with attentive blue eyes._

“Is that you and Loki?” Steve asked. Thor nodded.

“You were cute kids,” Tony said.

_The Allfather and the two princes stood in front of the pedestal holding the Casket of Ancient Winters, the artifact that Laufey had used as a weapon to wage war against Midgard. The carved prism still shone a biting blue, but there were wisps of darkness developing – evidence that it was far from its sphere of influence._

_“But the day will come when one of you will have to defend that peace,” Odin informed his two children, turning to face them. He was dressed in a sleeveless, stiff, embroidered golden robe over top a black long sleeved shirt and breeches, tucked into boots that came up to his knees. The right eye that he had lost in the war was covered with a patch, the other blue and firm._

_“Do the Frost Giants still live?” the young Loki asked, his voice wavering._

_“When I’m king, I’ll hunt the monsters down and slay them all!” the young Thor swore, slashing at imagined enemies, prompting a smirk from his younger brother. “Just as you did, father.”_

Thor winced at his behaviour.

Tony sniggered. “Ambitious little tyke, weren’t you?”

Steve was frowning subtly at Thor. “Do you still want to kill that entire race?”

“They’re monsters, Steve – if he wants to off them then that’s his right,” Tony remarked flippantly.

“No!” Thor roared in anger. “Those were the immature ramblings of a child! The Jötunns are people just like any other species found in the Nine Realms!”

“Alright,” Steve said with a smile. “That’s a very mature outlook towards your enemies – your father taught you well for your position as king.”

“I have only- It was only during my exile to Midgard that I thought to absorb my father’s teachings,” Thor admitted in shame. “Please do not judge me too harshly for my actions beforehand, my friends.”

_Odin gave a small sigh and advised, “A wise king never seeks out war, but,” and here he looked to both of his sons, “he must always be ready for it.”_

“Wise man,” Fury muttered.

_He passed between Thor and Loki, moving back up to the exit of the Weapons’ Vault they had descended into. The young boys shared a glance at the words of wisdom and then beamed, racing after their father, passing the stone stand that Mjolnir was resting on._

_“I’m ready, father,” Thor claimed while grabbing his right hand._

_“So am I,” Loki insisted, taking his left._

_Odin looked down at both of his sons and, squeezing each of their hands in reassurance, said, “Only one of you can ascend to the throne, but both of you were born to be kings.”_

“Were you two always fighting over the throne?” Natasha asked.

Thor shrugged. “Yes, but my brother’s view changed from what you saw here. He never wanted to rule.”

“Didn’t he become king of Asgard and then try to kill you? Then, like yesterday, he tried to take over the world?” Tony asked sarcastically.

“He admitted to me when I returned that he never wanted the throne, and have we not already concluded that there was another who was orchestrating the strike against Midgard?” Thor defended.

“Alright you two, let’s just keep watching,” Steve intervened.


	2. Coronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. They begin to wonder at the motivation for his most recent actions when the god appears to be stable.

_Many bustled about within the halls of the palace, servants hurrying from room to room as the Æsir wore their most luxurious clothing, preparing for some great event._

“What’s happening?” Steve asked.

“It is the day of my coronation,” Thor explained.

_There was a thickset man with auburn hair preening his beard by use of his reflection in the polished walls._

“That is my friend Volstagg!” Thor exclaimed.

_He turned to reach out for a passing platter of food only for the servant not to pause and bypass him, another moving in the opposite direction repeating the action. He huffed as he continued combing his fingers through his beard, exclaiming in delight when he happened upon a morsel of food that was entangled._

Thor laughed while his teammates grimaced at the unhygienic action.

_He kissed his fingers in appreciation before stepping away from the wall and immersing himself in the crowds._

_A raven haired man slipped through the tall, decorative, golden doors of the palace so to join the assembly, only pausing briefly so to fit a small dagger into one of the sheaths on his forearm._

“And that is my friend Hogan.”

_A goateed blond stood in the corner of a hallway surrounded by several giggling women who fawned over him._

“And that is Fandral!”

_One female preened his hair as he praised another, “Darling girl,” who held up a mirror that he admired his face in. “Now,” he began, drawing his sabre with a smirk, “who wants to polish my sword?” The girls laughed uproariously and followed him as he strode off._

Natasha raised an eyebrow, and asked, “I hope all the women on Asgard aren’t so superficial?”

“They are not all so – my friend, Lady Sif, is a great warrior,” Thor replied.

_A brunette disarmed, lying her shield, sword, and knives carefully atop a long table before moving around it and handing a curved, ornamental, metal weapon to a guard before walking further out into those gathered._

“And there she is.”

_The people mingled amicably in small groups in the clear streams of sunlight, the Warriors Three filing in to line up in front of the golden steps that led to the Allfather’s throne._

_“I hope this goes quickly; I’m famished,” the auburn-haired male, Volstagg, stated._

_“No,” the blond, Fandral, drawled in sarcastic disbelief._

_“Are you attached to that pretty face of yours, because one more word and you won’t be,” he threatened lightly._

_“My, we are hungry, aren’t we?” Fandral chuckled, before beseeching the raven-haired warrior on his right, “Oh, go on, Hogan, smile.” He received an unimpressed stare. “You can do it – even you, Hogan the Grim. Just one smile,” he urged, before surrendering with a sigh, “Alright, half a smile. Look – forget the smile, just show some teeth; remember, we are the Warriors Three.”_

_“Fandral, he’s not going to do it,” the brunette asserted, before leading, “But if you’d like a challenge I know of an even greater one for you.”_

_“Name it, Lady Sif,” he said._

_“Keeping your mouth shut,” she finished._

Thor laughed thunderously, the others smiling in admiration of her wit.

_Within the quiet of the palace, the heavy double doors at the far end of a shadowed hallway were thrown open, a figure striding forward with his cape whipping behind him. He carried a goblet and drained the wine in it before coming to a fire in the midst of the hall and throwing the cup down, calling, “Another!”_

_The pieces shattered and flew in all directions, the flames flaring in response to the added fuel and illuminating the blond, broad shouldered, armoured warrior standing with a great hammer in one hand._

“Nice entrance,” Tony said, and Thor blushed in embarrassment at his spoiled-self making demands.

_He continued down the hallway towards a curtained juncture that separated him from the raucous masses outside. Another armoured man stepped out from behind a pillar draped in curtain with a smirk to meet him. The dark haired one wore a horned helmet and was caped in green, a contrast to the other’s scarlet as they stood beside each other in the hall._

_Loki turned to teasingly ask, “Nervous, brother?”_

_Thor laughed, “Have you ever known me to be nervous?”_

_“Hm, well there was the time in Nornheim-” Loki commented._

_“That was not nerves, brother, that was the rage of battle,” Thor argued._

_“Ah, I see.”_

_“How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?” Thor questioned rhetorically, turning to face Loki._

_He furrowed his brow in mystification as he turned to mention, “Uh, as I recall I was the one who veiled us in smoke for our escape-” Thor guffawed at that, a servant approaching with a platter that held the requested drink._

_“Yes, some do battle others just do tricks,” Thor viewed with a mocking smile._

Thor winced, Steve casting him a disappointed look.

“I’d fly off the handle at condescension like that, just saying,” Tony pointed out. “And what’s that mean, that he veiled you in smoke?”

“My brother altered the air in the area around us so to thicken it and hide us,” Thor tried to explain. “Our enemies could not swarm us effectively due to the fog, and so we were fighting reduced numbers as we made our escape.”

“So he’s able to cool and exert pressure on an expanse of gas molecules in the air on a whim?” Bruce translated incredulously.

Thor gave a shrug. “I do not understand the workings of my brother’s magic, nor how it relates to your ‘science’.”

_The servant chuckled at the remark, Loki’s gaze swiftly turning incensed as he gazed at him._

“Yeah, he’s not going to stand for that,” Tony said.

_Loki minutely raised a hand and splayed his fingers, twisting it so his palm was directed towards the servant. He quieted in disbelief, horror taking over his expression as his eyes darted between Loki and the goblet not a foot from his face where three small snakes coiled up over the rim._

_He yelped and dropped the tray for it to clatter upon the floor along with the cup, the three diminutive, ultramarine and ebony striped snakes slithering across the floor. The servant watched Loki in fear, frozen as he smiled and laughed at his terror._

“We need to understand this,” Bruce sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “He just transformed a drink into three independently functioning animals.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Tony said, eyes alight as he smiled.

_“Loki,” Thor whined, “Now that was just a waste of good wine.”_

_Loki’s expression straightened as he defended, “That was just a bit of fun, right my friend?” waving his hand to vanish the serpents. Both he and Thor chuckled lightly as the servant forced himself to flash a scared smile before he bent to pick up the dropped wares, hastily retreating._

_A guard approached to bow and offer a winged helmet to Thor, stepping back once he gingerly took it. Loki threw his eyes from it to Thor, who looked down at it before away, and then back again._

_“Ooh, nice feathers,” Loki teased lightly._

_Thor smiled and chortled, turning to face him as he speculated, “You don’t really want to start this again, do you, cow?” as he glanced up at Loki’s horned helmet._

_“I was being sincere.”_

_“You are incapable of sincerity.”_

_“Am I?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“I’ve looked forward to this day as long as you have,” Loki softly declared. “You’re my brother, and my friend. Sometimes I’m envious, but never doubt that I love you.”_

They all stared in amazement at the declaration. 

_They shared soft smiles as Thor clasped the back of his brother’s neck, giving a pat as he earnestly thanked him._

_“Now give us a kiss,” Loki joked._

_“Stop it,” Thor laughed with a warning point, shoving him lightly as they both turned back to stand abreast in the hall. They quieted and Thor looked down at his helmet again before raising his chin slightly and asking softly, “Really, how do I look?”_

_Loki looked at him, considering, before surmising, “Like a king.”_

“Okay, how long ago was this?” Steve asked, stupefied. “Watching this you two seem like every other pair of siblings I’ve run into – ribbing and supporting each other equally. What happened?”

Thor hesitated before admitting, “Before my exile I was arrogant and took advantage of, or ignored altogether, my brother’s talents. Strength was what my friends and I valued; they tolerated him, but were not his. Our father advised me for the throne more so than he, and when he found out that he was adopted...

“Only our mother was there for him, and her reassurances could not outweigh the realization that he drew: that no matter his actions, he wouldn’t be allowed to take the throne – which was not true, but...” he trailed off in dismay. “In addition, it seemed as though he concluded that there was something inherent in his heritage that had caused his separation from all of the persons that he had grown close to. He had never been looked at as more than a trickster, his studies in magic deemed frivolous. He had no confidence in his belonging to our family – and further, our culture.”

“Do you guys not study psychology up there?” Tony asked. “All this could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t neglected the crap out of him.” Thor looked away from his accusing stare.

_Thor gave a slight nod in thanks to the opinion, Loki turning back to face forward as he heaved a sigh and said, “It’s time.”_

_“You go ahead.” Loki looked at him, contemplating the request. “I’ll be along, go on,” Thor urged again. Loki sent him an encouraging smile before striding off._

_Thor paused for several moments before marching through the hallway lined with silk curtains the colour of dawn. There was a woman standing shaded behind one, wearing a long golden dress and cloak about her form and with her blonde hair elaborately curled and piled atop her head. He had almost completely passed her by until she spoke, “It’s alright to be nervous.”_

_Thor scoffed and turned to walk back to her, wondering, “Why does everyone keep saying that? I am not nervous.” He passed her by again and then spun, pacing before her._

“Two people are pointing it out – you’re nervous,” Clint commented. 

_“You may be able to fool the rest of Asgard-” she began, stepping into the light of the hall and allowing it to glimmer off of the jewels decorating the front of her gown and about her neck._

_“-yes, but never you – I know,” Thor cut off to her smile._

“So, who is that?” Tony asked with a smirk, raising an eyebrow.

Thor chuckled. “That is my mother, son of Stark.”

“No way,” Tony said, his head whipping back to face the screen. The others adopted similar expressions of disbelief as Thor smiled.

_“Thor,” she started softly, laying a hand on his chest, “just remember that you have something even the great Allfather never had.”_

_“And what’s that?”_

_“Me for a mother,” Frigga finished with a smile to Thor’s light laugh._

“I don’t care if you say it, or if she says it – I don’t believe it,” Tony insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“We shouldn’t be that surprised,” Bruce commented. “I haven’t seen anyone on Asgard who isn’t attractive. Even the older people hold themselves a certain way that seems to wipe out the fact of their age and display dignity.”

Tony sunk down in his seat, mumbling, “I wanna be a god...”

_“Now don’t keep your father waiting,” she ordered, stepping back from him and turning to stroll away._

_He looked down at the helmet he still held in his hand, collecting himself for the performance._

_Out in the open air, an enormous crowd had gathered in a sprawling courtyard, warriors donning their extravagant armour and civilians their finest ensembles. Their shouts sounded off the mighty stone pillars as they cheered, flags held aloft that matched the scarlet banners of the royal family hung from the ceiling. It was open in the center of the round of pillars, allowing rays of sun to stream down and to glint off the golden statues that flanked a grand platform at the end of the paved court where the people had gathered. Golden stairs led up to a sprawling throne were the Allfather sat, Thor’s four friends arranging themselves along the steps in addition to his familial support._

_The applause of the Æsir rumbled, directed towards Thor as he strode down several steps at the far end of a long aisle that led to the raised golden platform. Armoured and caped in red, having donned his silver, winged helmet, he struck an impressive figure as he held his hammer high above his head. He sauntered down the aisle lined with elite guards, standing with spears at attention. He approached the Allfather, his family, and his friends haughtily, tossing his hammer into the air to the entertainment of the people, grin cocky and laughter loud at being exhibited in such a manner._

_“Oh please,” Sif muttered from her stance on the steps, fondly rolling her eyes in annoyance. Frigga stood several rows above, on Odin’s right, and smiled slightly in amusement at Thor’s antics, but looked away so to display her belief in the inappropriateness of the action. Odin sat in full armour, winged, horned helmet on his head and ruling spear, Gungnir, in hand, looking on._

_Thor shouted in triumph, turning as he walked to fully soak in the support of his people. He yelled and raised his arms, egging their praise on, Odin beginning to exhibit disproval at the display. Thor reached the bottom of the steps leading up to the Allfather’s throne and sunk to one knee, resting his hammer on the floor alongside him and taking off his helmet. His blond hair fell to his shoulders and a beard outlined his jaw, his bright blue eyes rising to send a wink to his mother. Her eyes widened and, though a brief smile alit on her mouth, she shook her head in reproach._

_Odin stood, the noise of the people lessening as he did so. Thor looked to his right where the Warriors Three were lined, Volstagg closest to him, then Fandral, and then Hogan, each a few steps separate from each other. Thor smiled as the Allfather rapped Gungnir on the floor, silence descending swiftly._

_“Thor Odinson,” he began, “my heir-” Loki, who stood on Thor’s left in between Lady Sif and the Queen, glanced down and pursed his lips at the title._

“Didn’t he say before that he loved you and had been looking forward to this?” Steve questioned.

“Yes, and he doesn’t wish to rule and so approved of my imminent kingship, but I was not yet ready. You will see that I was reckless and impulsive, never considering the consequences of my actions. My brother was right to think me unsuited for the throne at that time,” Thor clarified, “and to delay it.”

“What? What does he do?” Clint asked.

“You will see.”

_“-my first born,” Odin continued, words wavering in pride as his wife looked upon Thor softly also, “so long entrusted with the mighty hammer Mjolnir, forged in the heart of a dying star.”_

“That’s why it’s so damn heavy,” Tony uttered.

_“Its power has no equal; as a weapon to destroy, or as a tool to build – it is a fit companion for a king.”_

_His two sons watched him intently as he persisted, “I have defended Asgard, and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms, from the time of the Great Beginning...” His voice faded as the ceremony distanced, a dark, fortified, isolated enclosure underneath the palace growing larger as it drew nearer._

_Two guards descended into the Weapons’ Vault, checking each sector for the powerful item kept there. A ringed blue orb held by a cloudy blue arm on either side; a waist-high stone fragment with a couple lines of chiselled runes. They strode to the end of the vault, the hazy blue Casket showcased in the center of the aisle. A bright green and yellow eye framed in obsidian followed the guards’ progression as they passed its section; a figure hidden behind the pillars touched a blue hand to the stone, ice cracking through the mineral._

“Frost Giants?” Clint asked. “How did he manage to get Frost Giants in?”

Thor shrugged, and answered, “I do not know.”

_Above, Odin asked the knelt Thor, “Do you swear to guard the Nine Realms?”_

_“I swear,” Thor answered._

_“And do you swear to preserve the peace?”_

_“I swear,” he repeated._

_“Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition-” Loki looked away from Odin, evidently disbelieving of Thor’s ability to do such, “-and to pledge yourself only to the good of the realm?”_

_“I swear!” Thor shouted, thrusting Mjolnir upward at the vow._

_“Then on this day, I, Odin Allfather, will proclaim you...” he trailed off, gaze drifting. Thor’s smile fell in worry._

_In the Weapons’ Vault, the floor crackled as it iced over, a guard kneeling to inspect its progression in fear and confusion. Crimson eyes reflected, a Jötunn growling from behind him as one of its clawed hands seized his throat. Another giant transformed an arm into a spiked icicle and speared the remaining guard’s throat._

_“Frost Giants,” Odin announced on the surface._

_The Jötunns marched to the far end of the vault, ice concentrating along the floor and base of the walls as they approached the Casket. The power of the artifact seemed to swirl in anticipation, the prism glowing a bit brighter as cobalt hands grasped its sides and took it from its base. They turned to exit._

“Oh shit,” Tony cursed. “Isn’t it a bit of an overkill – to give back to your enemies the powerful magic that you took from them, just to crash your brother’s party?”

Thor chuckled.

“What do you find funny about this?” Agent Hill asked.

“Let us continue watching,” he merely said.

_From his stand in front of the Æsir the Allfather struck Gungnir against the gilded floors, and below the wall, that once terminated the vault’s center aisle, disintegrated to reveal a monolithic machine of smooth, interconnected metal. It stepped forward to look down upon the intruding ‘giants’; the lead Jötunn twisted to face it and raised the Casket as if in offence, but was instantly incinerated by an intense beam of power. The metal that had once resembled a face on the colossal machine had streamed to the sides of its head, a gaping hole left to issue forth a ray of cremation._

_The remaining two Jötunn were reduced to infinitesimal ashes in a flash of white._

“We should get one of those to guard the tower,” Tony put forward.

“No,” Fury refused immediately.

_The Allfather and the two princes entered the Weapons’ Vault as the Destroyer retreated into the space from which it came, the stone decoration of the wall rematerializing in front of it. The three stepped up to examine the bodies: the guards prone and frozen, the barest of pieces remaining of the giants._

_“The Jötunns must pay for what they’ve done,” Thor declared, Loki gazing on in silence._

_“They have paid, with their lives,” Odin replied. “The Destroyer did its work, the Casket is safe, and all is well.”_

_Thor looked to his brother for commiseration as he queried in irritation, “All is well? They broke into the Weapons’ Vault. If the Frost Giants had stolen even one of these relics-”_

_“But they didn’t.”_

_“Well I want to know why,” Thor insisted. Loki raised an eyebrow from the sidelines at the exchange._

“He knew that machine was down there, so he let the Frost Giants in just as a distraction,” Natasha recapped. “But it wouldn’t be for very long – your coronation would resume almost immediately – so what was the point of it?”

“My brother predicted my reaction to the intrusion,” Thor said. “It was arranged so to show our father how irrational I could be.”

_“I have a truce with Laufey, King of the Jötunns-” Odin protested._

_“He just broke your truce! They know you are vulnerable.”_

_Odin turned to face him directly and asked, “What action would you take?”_

_“March into Jötunheim as you once did. Teach them a lesson; break their spirits so they’ll never dare to cross our borders again-”_

Fury furrowed his brow and shook his head, the rest casting disappointed glances towards Thor at the proposed course of action.

“My friends, I asked at the beginning for you not to judge me too harshly for my actions before my exile. Midgard taught me much.”

_“You’re thinking only as a warrior,” Odin noted._

_“This was an act of war!” Thor persisted._

_“It was the act of but a few, doomed to fail,” Odin corrected._

_“Look how far they got!”_

_“We will find the breach in our defenses and it will be sealed.”_

_“As King of Asgard-”_

_“But you’re not king!” Odin cut off. “Not yet.” Thor’s expression was stony as Odin walked past._

“Oh damn,” Tony inserted.

_In a large golden banquet hall there were servants removing the flatware from a long table laden with food, the pillars supporting the ceiling allowing the clear day to shine into the area. Thor stormed into the room and reached forward to fling the servants away, roaring as he overturned the table with a heave to relieve some of his desperation and fury at the situation. The table was flipped over top the multitude of food and remaining precious tableware, Thor standing with an enraged expression, teeth bared._

Steve recoiled at the waste of food. Tony rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Nice anger management.” Thor blushed in embarrassment.

_His four friends entered the hall, Lady Sif lifting her palms and asking derisively, “Redecorating, are we?”_

_“What’s this?” Volstagg queried, aghast at the site._

_Thor breathed heavily as he tensely circled the area that was now in shambles to sit on the steps lining the room._

_“I told you they’d cancel it,” Hogan stated, referring to the coronation._

_“We thought you were just being your normal, cheery self,” Fandral commented._

_“All this food,” Volstagg murmured, “it’s just cast to the ground, it’s-” He breathed heavily through his emotional response and finished, “It breaks the heart.”_

A man clad in tall, dark leather boots stepped around from behind a pillar, revealing himself to be Loki as he crouched to sit beside Thor on the low rows of stairs. “It’s unwise to be in my company right now, brother,” Thor warned. 

_Loki nodded his head in agreement and remarked, “Who said I was wise?” as he settled beside him._

_“This was to be my day of triumph,” he said in discontent._

_“It’ll come, in time,” Loki reassured. Sif watched their conversation curiously as Volstagg gathered an assortment of food on a tray from a service that had escaped Thor’s wrath._

_Loki looked back at the other warriors and shifted closer to Thor, leaning in to speak quietly into his ear, “If it’s any consolation, I think you’re right – about the Frost Giants, about Laufey, about everything. If they found a way to penetrate Asgard’s defenses once, who’s to say they won’t try again? Next time, with an army.”_

_“Exactly,” Thor responded._

_“There’s nothing you can do without defying Father,” Loki pointed out._

_Thor turned to look at him suddenly, gasping, “Yes, there is,” as he got to his feet._

_Loki searched his expression frantically before his eyes widened and he started to protest, “No, no no nononono, stop; I know that look, stop right there-”_

_“It’s the only way to ensure the safety of our borders,” he countered._

_“Thor, it’s madness,” Loki tried again._

_“Madness?” Volstagg interrupted. “What sort of madness?”_

_“I-It’s nothing, Thor was just, merely making a jest,” Loki diverted._

_“The safety of our realm is no jest,” Thor stated, “We’re going to Jötunheim.”_

“Now there’s a well-thought-out decision,” Clint snarked.

“He was manipulated into it,” Natasha defended.

“I may have been influenced, but at that time I would have taken any excuse to target the Jötunns,” Thor sighed.

“This isn’t going to end well,” Steve predicted.

_Loki sighed and raised a hand to cover his eyes in resignation, Fandral scoffing out an incredulous, “What?” at the proclamation._

_“Thor,” Sif began with a shake of her head, “of all the laws of Asgard, this is the one you must. Not. Break.”_

_Fandral explained, “This isn’t like a journey to Earth where you summon a little lightning and thunder and the mortals worship you as a god. This is Jötunheim-”_

_“If the Frost Giants don’t kill you, your father will,” Volstagg supplied._

_“My father fought his way into Jötunheim,” Thor supported, Loki swallowing in anxiety, “defeated their armies and took their Casket. We will just be looking for answers-”_

_“It is forbidden,” Sif argued again._

_Thor smiled with a chuckle, opening his arms and approaching the four as he said, “My friends, have you forgotten all that we have done together? Who brought you into the sweet embrace of the most exotic maidens in all of Yggdrasil?” he asked Fandral, coming to stand before him._

_“Well, you helped a little,” he responded with a smirk._

_Thor laughed and addressed Hogan, “And who led you into the most glorious of battles?”_

_“You did,” he answered._

_“And to delicacies so succulent you thought you’d died and gone to Valhalla?” he asked Volstagg, who had been in the middle of assembling a tower out of bread, meat, and cheese._

_He chortled and answered, “You did.”_

_Thor laughed with him and approved, “Yes,” as he clapped him on the shoulder. Then he turned and started towards the brunette, asking, “And who proved wrong all who scoffed at the idea that a young maiden could be one of the fiercest warriors this realm has ever known?”_

_“I did,” she cheerfully answered._

_Thor paused for a moment before admitting, “True, but I supported you, Sif.” He spun and levelled them all with an unyielding gaze._

_“My friends, trust me now – we must do this,” he asserted, returning to stand by his brother and gesturing down at him as he questioned, “You’re not going to let my brother and me take all the glory are you?”_

_Loki’s eyes flashed up and widened as he breathed out, “What?” his gaze shifting from side to side in unease._

“Didn’t expect that,” Tony sung.

_“What,” Thor wondered, his smile falling as he asked, “You are coming with me, aren’t you?”_

_He turned with a smile and answered, “Yes, of course.” His composure recollected, he stood and confirmed, “I won’t let my brother march into Jötunheim alone.” Their stares fell to each of the others expectantly._

_“And I,” Volstagg said._

_“And I,” Fandral repeated with a sigh._

_“And I,” Hogan affirmed. “The Warriors Three fight together.”_

_“I fear we’ll live to regret this,” Sif finished, closing her right fist and holding it over her heart as she bowed in acquiesce to Thor’s leadership._

_They made their way out of the hall to prepare, Volstagg attaching, “-if we’re lucky,” to her statement. Thor laughed and clapped Loki on the shoulder, hopping over the few rows of steps below and striding out of the room, Loki following._


	3. Jötunheim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. They begin to wonder about the extent of Loki's abilities and the motivation for his most recent actions.

_Birds twittered in the trees lining a bright, round garden; white, pink, and red flowers bloomed a foot from the ground and were planted in interlocking, large circles; a decorative stream coursed down between the flowerbeds. The six warriors strode with purpose side by side, fully armoured with their capes (and skirt) whipping about them. They came to a halt at a long rail that allowed them a view out of the realm of Asgard._

_“First we must find a way to get past Heimdall,” Thor told them._

_“That will be no easy task,” Volstagg retorted. “It’s said the Gatekeeper can see a single drop of dew fall from a blade of grass a thousand worlds away.”_

_Fandral laughed as he created another superstition mockingly, “Yes, and he can hear a cricket passing gas in Niffleheim.”_

_“Jest not,” he countered as they proceeded to file over to their horses, “he heareth all.”_

_“Please, getting past him should be simple enough now – since he seems to be letting Frost Giants sneak by under his nose,” Fandral chortled._

_“Oh forgive him,” Volstagg apologized, addressing the Gatekeeper, “he meaneth no offense.” Sif watched him amusedly._

_Hogan trailed behind, casting a glance back at Loki who had stopped to speak with one of the guards. The guard gave a nod at whatever was spoken and Loki swiftly moved to follow the others._

“What’s he planning now?” Clint asked.

Thor narrowed his eyes at the screen. “I know not – I did not notice that before.”

_They mounted and adjusted the holds on their weapons, spurring their steeds into motion. They rode over the wide, intricate road that cut through the center of Asgard to the lofty golden, gated walls that led out of the realm. The road transformed into a bridge once it was suspended over the deep waters that surrounded the land, a vibrant array of colours streaming beneath their horses’ hooves as they galloped over the Rainbow Bridge to the site of the Bifrost._

“‘Rainbow Bridge’ is right,” Clint muttered. 

“So all of you are going to travel over to Jötunheim through the use of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, which is generated by this ‘Bifrost’?” Bruce probed.

“That’s what we believe happens,” Agent Hill replied.

“You can’t tell us anything about it?” Tony asked Thor.

He shrugged. “The magic of the Bifrost is ancient beyond measure – it would take extensive study in not only runes but a range of magicks to understand its workings and replicate them.”

“So if any magician on Asgard-”

“Sorcerer,” Thor corrected.

“-whatever,” Tony huffed. “If anyone put the effort into studying magic they’d be able to teleport themselves to any place in the universe?”

“It is possible – I know that my brother can vanish from one area to reappear instantly in another. The practice of investigating such magicks has fallen out of favour in Asgard though, even if the strong magicks of artifacts are appreciated. Few choose to put forth the study outside of our required daily physical instruction,” Thor explained.

“So you, and the rest of the Asgardians, with no understanding of magic, truly have no idea what Loki might be able to do, or what powers he might have?” Tony asked.

Thor paused before realizing slowly, “No, we do not.”

“So not only does he know you through and through, but you don’t even know his strengths, never mind his weaknesses,” Tony grimaced.

“Why isn’t he escaping then?” Bruce asked. “We’ve never put up any sort of magical barrier – we have no grasp of the subject. He stayed on the Helicarrier before to distract us, but now? The battle’s over and he’s chained up and humiliated. Why is he still here?” All of the occupants in the room paused to contemplate that question.

“I can’t see this working towards another plan,” Natasha said. “Not when he lost with an army behind him.”

“What other possibilities are there?” Agent Hill wondered.

“He might not actually be able to escape,” Clint proposed. “Again, we don’t know anything about magic.”

“I think we should just write these questions down,” Steve suggested. “Interrogating Loki can be done later, but the movie might offer us some answers before we get to that.”

“Great idea, Cap,” Tony acknowledged, leaning over grab the touch screen that he’d brought and setting it up. Starting a new project file titled ‘Questions for Reindeer Games,’ he typed in, reading aloud:

  * Extent of teleportation abilities / workings of Bifrost 
  * Magical limitations in terms of escaping his cage 



“Maybe I should just put ‘magic’ in caps... Anything else?” he asked.

“We should include the general questions we have about him and the Chitauri,” Steve advised.

  * Motivation for attacking Earth 
  * Control of the Chitauri 
  * Chitauri’s end goal for world takeover 



“-because there had to be something in it for them or whoever was actually in charge of them,” Tony elaborated.

“We done? Because I think we can all agree that his reaction to being adopted is the scene that will give us answers to his motivation,” Fury snapped impatiently.

“There may be more examples of him using magic while they’re fighting on Jötunheim anyways,” Bruce granted.

_They slowed their steeds as they approached a hefty sphere worked out of metal, a tall, narrow, triangular pyramid standing atop it and reaching upwards, the base of the machine at the edge of where the sea dropped into the ether. They dismounted and approached an impressively armoured, dark skinned male with facial hair trimmed close to his skin and piercing amber eyes. He stood as the unyielding Gatekeeper of the Bifrost, a broadsword held downwards grasped in his hands._

_“Leave this to me,” Loki said confidently as the six moved towards him. “Good Heimdall-”_

_“You’re not dressed warmly enough,” he cut off._

_“I’m sorry?” Loki asked, feigning puzzlement._

_“Do you think that you can deceive me?”_

_He stuttered out a laugh, beginning, “You must be mistaken-”_

_“Enough,” he commanded; Loki obeyed instantly._

“Look at that,” Tony mumbled.

_Thor stepped around his brother, asking, “Heimdall, may we pass?”_

_“Never has an enemy slipped my watch until this day,” he stated. He cast his dissecting gaze onto Loki-_

“He knows,” Clint observed. “He knows that he let in the Frost Giants.”

“Heimdall sees all,” Thor stated, “even when he cannot see.” Natasha raised an eyebrow.

_-before returning it to Thor, adding, “I wish to know how that happened.”_

_“Then tell no one where we have gone until we’ve returned, understand?” Thor ordered, striding past._

_The Warriors Three and Sif followed, Volstagg teasing, “What happened, silver tongue turn to lead?” Loki watched him in consternation as he passed._

_They entered the golden dome, the inner surface adorned with wheels of sword motifs, and circled around the raised dais to stand before the semicircular opening at the far end, Thor taking point. Heimdall ascended the steps to the governing mechanism of the Bifrost, sliding his sword into it. Blindingly white branches of lightning split off to strike the walls and floor sporadically, an extensive machine shifting and beginning to spin underneath them. The entirety of the spherical outer wall spun with it, continuously gaining momentum as the tall pyramid atop spun and fell down to point away from Asgard; a bright beam shot out, channeled by the point._

“I wish you knew more about this method of travel,” Bruce bemoaned.

_“Be warned,” Heimdall began, “I will honour my sworn oath to protect this realm as its Gatekeeper. If your return threatens the safety of Asgard the Bifrost will remain closed to you, and you’ll be left to die in the cold wastes of Jötunheim.”_

_Hogan and Sif traded apprehensive looks while Volstagg asked, “Couldn’t you just leave the bridge open for us?”_

_“To leave the bridge open would unleash the full power of the Bifrost and destroy Jötunheim with you upon it,” he answered, Loki absorbing the fact._

_Thor smiled and held, “I have no plans to die today.”_

_“None do,” Heimdall responded._

Fury smirked.

_He fully sheathed his sword into the machine and the six were deconstructed into infinite streaks of coloured light, dragged through the issued beam and blasted through the starry skies. An array of shades spun around them as they flew through the heavens, finally erupting into the atmosphere of Jötunheim in a splash of blues, greens, and pinks as the Rainbow Bridge parted the clouds and set them on the surface amidst a haze of dust._

_Snow blew through the air of the frosty, dark, barren landscape, the stone of the ground fractured and forced upward in monumental, treacherous spikes. They stood in tense silence taking in their environment and the gravity of their decision, Thor turning to learn that their landing site was at the edge of an iced overhang that dropped down into a wide canyon. Fandral faced forward to note lengthy, crystallized stalactites hanging from the ridge of an outcropping above, some reaching down far enough to form columns with stalagmites._

_The wind howled as it swung around the mountains and towers of ice, Hogan voicing, “We shouldn’t be here.” Loki glanced around at their surroundings, chilled breath visible._

_“Let’s move,” Thor demanded, venturing forward with Sif alongside him. Fandral shook his head as the rest trailed after them._

“I expected a bit more drama when you arrived,” Tony groaned.

“You’ll have it soon enough,” Thor muttered.

_Stone segments of their setting crumbled and collapsed as they moved further into Jötunheim, leaving boot prints in the snow. Crude, far off bridges and stone towers stretched still and silent, casting long, warped, ominous shadows across the desolate country. Many boulders and pieces of fallen structures littered the ground, parts splintering and snapping off casually._

_They came to a gargantuan palace crafted through the collection of tall, rectangular stone shapes, Sif asking, “Where are they?” as they approached the heart of the forbidding land._

_“Hiding,” Thor answered. “These cowards always do.”_

_They continued to make their way into the building, carefully watching each of their steps due to the many fissures that had torn through the mineral of the ground._

_“You’ve come a long way to die, Asgardians,” a deep voice greeted, echoing down through the chilled air._

_“I am Thor Odinson,” Thor called out._

_“We know who you are.”_

_“How did your people get into Asgard?” he questioned._

_A shadowed, blue skinned figure sat in an iron wrought throne facing away from his guests, a multitude of deep grooves carved down his face, torso, and limbs. He turned his crimson eyes onto the Æsir, answering, “The house of Odin is full of traitors.”_

_“Do not dishonour my father’s name with your lies,” Thor raged, grip tightening on Mjolnir._

_Laufey sneered and leapt to his feet, standing easily four times their height and pronouncing, “Your father is a murderer and a thief.” He then patronized, “And why have you come here – to make peace? You long for battle, you crave it. You’re nothing but a boy trying to prove himself a man.” Jötunns revealed themselves so to surround them._

_“This boy has grown tired of your mockery,” Thor announced, heedless to the odds piling against them and the giants transforming their limbs to ice in preparation for the battle that he was promising._

_Loki quickly tread to stand close behind him, urging fearfully into his ear, “Thor, stop and think. Look around you – we’re outnumbered-”_

_“Know your place, brother,” he growled._

“Ugh, seriously,” Tony interrupted, “he’s the only one with the balls to try and advise you not to antagonize an entire race on their home turf and get you and all your friends killed, and you shoot him down like that? You’re losing my support, buddy.”

Thor cast his eyes downward in shame. “I have acknowledged that Midgard changed me, but haven’t taken the time to recall and regret all of my decisions beforehand and apologize to those that I’ve wronged with my thoughtlessness. This is enabling me to do this – I feel the same revulsion towards my behaviour as you do, my friends.”

_“You know not what your actions will unleash,” Laufey began, “I do. Go now, while I still allow it.”_

_A Frost Giant came to stand before them, and Loki bowed his head and replied, "We will accept your most gracious offer." Thor turned to him in resentment before considering the giant again with a hard stare. He exhaled a light growl at Thor. "Come on, brother," Loki implored, turning to begin walking away._

_Laufey watched as Thor finally turned with a huff, the Jötunn behind him provoking, "Run back home little princess."_

_Loki halted and muttered, "Damn," as the other warriors sighed and readied themselves for the aftermath of Thor's anticipated, antagonistic reaction._

_Thor smiled and allowed Mjolnir to slide into his hand before he swung her around and struck the Jötunn, pitching him into a wall. He called out, "Next?" as he swung her again to smack another in the jaw, sending him flying. The giants attacked, one trying to club him, and Thor determinedly beat them away with Mjolnir._

_Hogan dropped his weapon into his hand as well, spikes extending from the metal ball at the end, and he used the mace to batter and impale. Sif drew her two swords and connected the ends of their grips, slicing through the large bodies with the long dual blade. Fandral laughed as he drew his sabre, parrying, stabbing, and running the giants through._

_Loki flung several knives at an incoming Jötunn, shattering the ice of his arm and casting him to the ground with numerous wounds. Volstagg was hit in the face by his opponent before he swung his axe into his stomach, capturing him in a headlock as he doubled over. Thor kicked away a Jötunn who he had slammed to the ground in front of him, and called out to Laufey, "At least make it a challenge for me."_

Steve shook his head.

_Laufey looked off into the palace to watch giants swarm through the open halls and leap down into the battle. One slammed his fist to the ground as he landed, sending a streak of ice underneath the surface to snap up some distance away and throw Hogan to the ground. A wide Jötunn roared, facing Thor who yelled back. He stomped up to him as Thor swung Mjolnir, catching it in his hand and head-butting him. Thor laughed as he swayed, the sound cut off as he was punched away._

_“That’s more like it,” he approved, throwing his arm back and then forward, letting Mjolnir fly to shatter her opponent’s head before being drawn back into Thor’s hand._

_Sif lunged forward with her weapon but one end’s blade was caught and she was disarmed, then kneed in the chest and knocked to the ground. Hogan whipped a blade at the giant advancing on her, and she rolled over to cast him a thankful look before he turned to deal with another._

_Loki looked up to find a Jötunn charging at him with a bellow. He stepped back but when one ankle slipped off the edge and sent pieces of frozen rock down into the gorge he looked over his shoulder to find that he had nowhere to move to. He turned back and stood facing the giant as he leapt and tackled him – except he caught nothing but air as he flew through the figure of ‘Loki’, green wisps of smoke releasing upon contact._

“Whoa, what?” Tony asked in befuddlement, leaning forward in his chair.

“My brother is capable of crafting quite convincing illusions,” Thor explained.

_The giant descended into the abyss, colliding with the jagged walls on the way down. The illusion stood impassively before Loki leaned out from behind a stone pillar a couple yards away, waving a hand to cause the image to fade before darting back into the battle._

“Alright, note to you guys,” Tony started, pointing first at Agent Hill and then Director Fury, “poke Loki every once in a while to make sure he’s still solid and hasn’t escaped through some sort of illusion.” Fury hurriedly communicated through his Bluetooth with the security agents on the bridge of this development, suggesting they use thermal imaging to record his body heat and therefore solidity since they couldn’t exactly repeatedly open the cage to literally ‘poke’ him.

Once he received confirmation that Loki was still in his cage, Director Fury returned to his seat, asserting, “We’re going to have to create another division for studying his magic.”

“I volunteer myself and Bruce,” Tony pronounced. Bruce breathed a sigh.

_Sif thrust one end of her dual blade into the ribs of a giant, his skin splintering like ice as she yanked it out of his body for cerulean blood to gush out of the wound as she turned away. Another Jötunn knelt and drove his fingers into the ground, flinging a multitude of icicles towards her as she threw up her shield to protect her torso and head._

_Volstagg struck the one standing in front of him, the giant seizing his arms as he threw himself forward at the red-haired warrior. Volstagg cried out in pain as, on his right forearm where the Jötunn’s hand had made contact, his skin hissed and discoloured. He head-butted him to free himself, tossing his axe to his left hand and shouting in pain again as he clenched the other into a fist and looked down at the seared, navy burn. “Don’t let them touch you!” he called out to his friends._

_Sif paused to acknowledge his word, Thor merely continuing to swing his hammer with a smile as he beat back those around him, one giant thrown away and another slammed in the chest with a yell._

_Loki ran towards a Jötunn with knife in hand, managing to stab him beneath his sternum and forcing him to his knees. The giant clutched Loki’s arm so to burn him and release himself, but when his sub-zero skin touched his fragments of ice formed and shattered before falling off, a deep blue creeping from the contact to replace the pale skin of Loki’s arm and hand. Loki’s eyes widened at the occurrence, the other’s crimson stare flicking up to stare at him before Loki lunged forward and stabbed him in the chest._

_Loki held his hand up and looked at his cobalt skin, breath heavy as he turned it over, its fair tone returning. He raised his wild eyes to the battle around him, petrified in shock._

“Ooh,” Tony dragged, “Yeah, I can see why that’d break him.”

“He’s a Frost Giant?” Steve asked. “But then how come he looks like one of you?”

“In addition to his magic – which he could use for glamours and disguises if he so wished – my brother is a naturally talented shape shifter,” Thor explained. “I’m not certain how it works; how could he have been unaware that he was in a form that differed from that of his birth?”

“So, add ‘shape shifting’ to the list,” Clint said.

Tony nodded and absentmindedly did so.

_As he swung and thrust his blade Fandral was laughing, before a giant knocked it out of his hand so to stick in the ground behind him. Fandral backed away, taking in the looming height of the Jötunn between him and his weapon in concern as he covered his arm in ice, the end a sharpened point. Fandral set his mouth in resolve as the giant swung to attack and he lunged forward to slide between his legs, grasping the hilt of his sabre and turning to cut off the Jötunn’s arm before running his blade through his head._

_When he tossed his weapon to his right hand to spin to return to the battle, a collection of icicles shot up from the ground and ran through his torso. He shouted in pain as Loki jolted and unsheathed a dagger, throwing it so to impale and strike down the giant who had wounded him. “Thor!” Sif shouted as Hogan and Volstagg gingerly lifted Fandral off of the ice._

_Thor continued to strike the Jötunns around him in a frenzy, indifferent to her call. Loki cried, “We must go!”_

_“Then go!” he growled, hurling Mjolnir to smash through giant after giant over miles of the hostile terrain-_

“Thor!” Steve admonished with a glare, repulsed by his behaviour. Thor winced and sunk down in his chair.

“I hope you didn’t endanger your friends often in acts like this,” Agent Hill offered with a narrowed gaze. He averted his eyes.

_-Laufey watching in displeasure as one after another they were thrown down. The Jötunn King scowled and reached out to direct a fissure in the ground to travel up a robust statue trapped between stone pillars. The layer of frost cracked and broke apart, sections falling off to gradually reveal a deep blue, tusked beast with a predatory gaze._

_Sif and the Warriors Three halted as Loki looked up with a pant at the tremors that rocked the ground beneath them, the beast knocking against its stone casing as it sought to free itself from the ice. Its massive maw held sharp ivory teeth, its nostrils exhaling as it shifted again with its eyes riveted on their small forms._

_Thor continued to batter giants as Volstagg pitched Fandral over his shoulder, the beast’s claws released as it scratched at the ground. “Run!” Volstagg screamed. Thor persistently fought, spinning Mjolnir by the strap at the end of her grip so to send numerous giants to the ground._

_“Thor!” Loki called, looking back as he ran after the others. His brother ignored his pleas._

_The beast finally broke free, ridding itself of the remaining pieces of ice along its back as it strode forward and hoarsely roared._

“Shit,” Clint cussed.

_Fandral watched from above Volstagg’s shoulder as the beast lumbered towards them, four long limbs wrapped in navy skin propelling it forward. It grunted as its strides lengthened at the chase, barbed tail whipping behind._

_Thor lowered the spinning Mjolnir to the ground, her rotation flinging rock and ice at the Jötunns who tried to approach him._

_The beast thundered through any fallen stone pillars that were in its way, reaching the five fleeing warriors. It brushed against a standing column as it lunged for Sif, causing it to topple over onto its head. It drove through the mineral obstinately and swung its tail onto Sif, the spikes impaling the ground around her as she darted through them, breath heavy._

_Thor noted the army of giants charging him from all sides and so hoisted Mjolnir into the air, her head drawing lightning from the dark clouds above as he slammed her into the ground. A blinding strike of lightning crashed into the ground in addition to Mjolnir’s impact, the surface rippling outward with the aftershock; the Jötunns were thrown away and the stone buildings crumbled and fell to pieces as the shockwave hit them. It continued further to thinner ground, breaking it apart and sending the pieces down into the gorge. The deteriorating surface reached where the beast had resumed its chase of the warriors, falling out from under its feet and causing it to try and clutch onto the edge with its claws. It failed and slipped off, its tail swinging up to latch onto the ground._

_Fandral smiled and laughed as it groaned as its tail slowly released its hold on the edge. The ground was still crumbling as they ran, the Jötunn behind them falling away with the surface. Digging its claws into the ground, the beast continued to run upside down underneath the disintegrating rock surface._

“Hold on, gravity doesn’t work that way,” Tony interrupted. Bruce frowned and slowly nodded.

“What do you mean?” Thor asked.

“The weight of the creature should drag it down with the rest of the rocks,” Bruce tried to explain.

Thor tilted his head and answered slowly, “It is using its claws.”

Tony glared at him. “I don’t care if it has suction cups attached to its feet; look at how it’s running! It shouldn’t be able to just leap into the air and fall UP to grab hold again.”

Thor admitted, “I do not understand. On Asgard we are able to crawl along the roofs of great caverns in a similar fashion as to what is stunning you about the Frost Creature.”

Tony growled before intentionally calming himself. “We’re having enough problems with magic, but now gravity? Gravity?!”

“Maybe it’s in the chemical makeup...” Bruce starts.

“Yes, give me some science to work with.”

Bruce rolled his eyes before continuing, “Well, perhaps the assortment of chemicals that make up each ‘realm’s beings draw them to their world. Like a force of magnetism. All of the substances found on Asgard and Jötunheim aren’t found here, on Earth, so we don’t know their properties. Maybe what their bodies are constructed out of is pulled to the surface of the land?”

“We’ll accept that for now,” Tony acquiesced, having some sort of foundation to ground him through his panic. “Next time you’re on Asgard, buddy, bring back some soil samples.”

“Just some intrigue in terms of magic, but mess with gravitational theory...” Natasha trailed off with a smirk, leaning back in her chair.

“It’s gravity,” Tony stated in justification, turning back to the screen in a huff.

_Sif leapt from section to section, the ground falling and threatening to give way for any one of their steps at any moment, the beast keeping pace underneath them. “Heimdall, open the bridge!” Loki shouted as they reached the rim of the overhang upon which they arrived._

_They gasped and reeled back as a thick skinned claw latched onto the ground in front of them, the beast raising its head slowly with a growl as it watched them intently and bared its teeth, releasing a deep roar. At the ruined palace, Thor spun Mjolnir faster and launched himself into the sky. The beast hauled itself onto the ledge and stood on its hind legs, snarling as its shadow dwarfed them. Thor flew with his hammer held in front of him towards it, and as it spread its claws and moved to attack he shot straight through its open mouth and out the back of its head._

“... I have nothing to say,” Tony articulated.

_It grimaced in pain before swaying where it stood, red eyes rolling back and jaw slackening as it fell on its side, the line of the horizon showing through the gaping hole in the back of its head. Thor landed on one knee in front of them, standing as the beast toppled over the side of the cliff. He turned to face his friends with a proud smirk, the expression falling as he faced the army that had assembled._

_Laufey smiled cruelly, the Jötunns shifting restlessly in anticipation. As one they charged the small group, but ceased their movement abruptly when a faint glow broke through the cloud cover to shine upon the warriors. They all looked to the sky, the clouds churning as a beam of radiance filled with colour shot down to impact the ground astride the six surrounded by giants. A neigh echoed through the white light as a mighty steed reared up on its hind legs and kicked out, its armoured rider holding a spear in hand._

_The Jötunns looked upon Odin Allfather as the biting wind and flurries of snow whipped his cape, Thor smiling and yelling, “Father, we’ll finish them together!”_

_“Silence,” he hissed down. Thor frowned in confusion._

_Laufey manipulated the ground so to bring him to stand on the same level as the eight-legged horse, his eyes still gazing down into the Allfather’s though he was atop Sleipnir._

“Does that horse have eight legs?” Tony asked in disbelief, counting the shown limbs again. “I thought they were just blurred in the light before, but I guess not.”

“Yes. That is the Allfather’s extraordinary steed, Sleipnir,” Thor answered.

“How does a mare birth something like that?” Bruce muttered.

“I do not believe anyone was present for the birthing – you would have to ask my brother.”

“Why did he help birth an eight-legged horse?” Clint asked.

Thor paused before chuckling, “Ah, you misunderstand me, my friends. Sleipnir is my brother’s child.”

There was a lull in the conversation as eyes widened and slack jaws issued various sputtering and choking sounds. Thor chortled at their expressions. “You’re joking,” Natasha insisted.

Thor raised an eyebrow, replying, “I am not. Sleipnir was birthed by my brother after his relations with the powerful stallion Svadilfari.”

“He slept with a horse?” Agent Hill asked.

“My brother had taken the form of a mare,” Thor explained, as if that clarified the event.

“I’m Googling this,” Tony declared, setting up his touch-screen on the table. It didn’t take very long for him to find a few sources that summarized the myth surrounding Sleipnir. “Basically, there was this guy who offered to build a huge wall in an impossible timeframe in exchange for a goddess named Freya, the sun, and the moon? – with only the help of his horse. Loki convinced them to agree to it, and then when it looked like he was going to actually be able to do it they got pissed and forced Loki to sabotage it all. So he transformed into a mare and raced around with this other horse, which delayed the building so the guy lost the bet. And then Loki shows up later with an eight-legged foal and no one asks any questions,” Tony runs through. “Seriously, this actually happened? Really?”

“Yes,” Thor answered, tilting his head in confusion.

Tony threw his hands into the air. “I swear, when all of this is over I’m going to lock myself in that cage with Loki and pry the answers to all of my questions out of him,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. No one moved to object to that course of action.

_“Allfather,” Laufey greeted, his crimson eyes intent on Odin’s heavily breathing form. “You look weary,” he observed, tilting his head with a mocking smile._

_“Laufey, end this now,” Odin ordered._

_“Your boy sought this out,” he defended. The Warriors Three and Sif turned to look at Thor, Loki’s stare not wavering from the Kings’ conversation._

“His eyes didn’t drift to you,” Natasha pointed out.

Thor furrowed his brows. “And what does that mean, Lady Natasha?”

She pursed her lips slightly at the address, but replied, “Your friends all blamed you for the situation, but he didn’t.”

“He arranged it,” Fury stated.

“Still,” Bruce mused, “in not blaming Thor’s recklessness and acknowledging that he was the conductor, by default, he’s blaming himself – though obviously he never meant for it to get this far.”

Clint snorted, “Obviously. We saw how scared he was before the battle started – trying to worm them all out of it.”

_“You’re right, these are the actions of a boy – treat them as such,” Odin implored, Sleipnir shifting beneath him. Laufey’s gaze was steady. “You and I can end this. Here; now – before there’s further bloodshed.”_

_“We are beyond diplomacy now, Allfather,” Laufey sneered. “He’ll get what he came for: war, and death.”_

_Sleipnir shifted again, huffing, Odin answering, “So be it.”_

_Laufey formed a long icicle in his hand-_

“Hey, we’ve been questioning all the magical shit – why didn’t we pick up on all the ice-voodoo these guys are doing?” Tony asked, jotting it onto their list of questions.

_-bringing it up and moving to stab it forward as Odin raised Gungnir with a shout and hurled Laufey away, the Jötunn King clutching onto the edge of a boulder to stay his flight. The clear streaks of light from the Bifrost shone down once again as Sleipnir reared, the infinite array of colour taking the Allfather, his steed, and the six warriors away from the frozen wasteland, leaving the Jötunns to glare up at the sky._


	4. Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration.

_The Bifrost whirred and spun as the narrow metal spike returned to point to the heavens, away from the waters crashing over the ledge of the land and the direction of the far-off realm of Jötunheim. Thor’s angered voice asked, “Why did you bring us back?”_

_“Do you realize what you’ve done, what you’ve started?” Odin fired back testily._

_“I was protecting my home!”_

_“You cannot even protect your friends, how could you hope to protect the kingdom?” he retorted, lifting Heimdall’s sword from the mechanism and tossing it to where he stood at the edge of the platform. “Get him to a healing room, now!” Odin screamed, throwing his arm out and pointing from where Hogan, Volstagg, and Sif were hoisting up Fandral to the exit of the intricate dome._

_“There won’t be a kingdom to protect if you’re afraid to act,” Thor stated as his friends rushed out, Heimdall turning to follow and resume his guard outside the Bifrost. “The Jötunns must learn to fear me just as they once feared you,” Thor proclaimed, Loki drawing in a deep breath and then exhaling slowly at the escalating conflict._

_“That’s pride and vanity talking, not leadership,” Odin declared. Loki’s gaze flicked up to his stand on the dais. “You’ve forgotten everything I’ve taught you about a warrior’s patience-”_

_“-while you wait and be patient the Nine Realms laugh at us. The old ways are done and you’ll stand giving speeches as Asgard falls!”_

_“You are a vain, greedy, cruel boy!” Odin spit._

_“And you are an old man and fool!” Thor yelled, face flushed as he panted._

“Are you allowed to say that?” Tony asked shrewdly.

Thor looked down and answered softly, “No.”

_Odin stared at him for a moment before lowering his eyes, confessing to the now-quiet Thor, “Yes, I was a fool – to think you were ready.”_

_Loki moved to rush forward with worried eyes, begging, “Father-”_

_Odin wordlessly roared at him, thrusting his fist out and causing Loki to halt immediately, silenced. He lowered his arm and looked down at the gilded floor again. “Thor Odinson,” he announced formally, lifting his gaze in determination, “you have betrayed the express command of your king.” Thor stared, stunned. “Through your arrogance and stupidity, you have opened these peaceful realms and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war!” He grasped Gungnir and thrust it into the Bifrost, bright lightning streaking out to attach to the walls and floor in a splay of light._

_The outer wall of the sphere began to spin, Thor unmoving with glistening eyes as he watched the Allfather step down and growl, “You are unworthy-” as he ripped off pieces of the armour on his chest, “of these realms.” He tore his scarlet cape from his shoulders as Thor tried to protest, adding, “You are unworthy of your title!_

_“You are unworthy-” he paused, steeling himself against Thor’s heavily breathing form that had brows drawn together, eyes teary, and a reddened nose, then continued, “-of the loved ones you have betrayed.” The Allfather’s piercing gaze was intent on Thor, Loki standing some steps away with his eyes darting between the two._

_Odin averted his stare, striding away and up the rows of steps surrounding the control of the Bifrost. He then turned to face Thor’s downcast, shocked expression and held his hand in front of him, fingers outstretched. He declared, “I now take from you your power,” as he summoned Mjolnir to him, “the name of my father,” as the intricate pieces of the armour on Thor’s right arm fell away, “and his father before,” as the same deconstruction occurred on the metal of his left arm. “I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!” he shouted, spearing Mjolnir forward and issuing a beam to shatter what remained of Thor’s chest armour and knock him backwards into the tunneled ring of colour that was the bridge of the Bifrost._

_Loki gasped, turning to look at Odin with an open mouth and appalled red-rimmed eyes before stepping closer to the opening through which his brother had disappeared._

_Odin held Mjolnir to his lips, whispering, “Should whoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor,” as a triquetric rune briefly appeared, inscribed on the side before fading. He pulled her away and, with a final glance at her, hurled her after Thor through the Bifrost to Loki’s watchful gaze._

“Well,” Tony coughed, casting a glance at the dejected Asgardian. The room was silent as they took in the emotional intensity of the scene, Thor absorbed in the painful memory. “So...” he racked his mind for a subject change, “Loki! He looked upset to see you exiled.”

Steve glared at his tact, or lack thereof, but none-the-less added, “Yes. I have to admit, I didn’t expect his reaction to be one of that degree.”

Bruce shrugged and inserted, “It makes sense though. If your behaviour had always been rash then he couldn’t have predicted the severity of Odin’s reaction.”

Thor smiled slightly at their distraction before nodding, contributing, “You are right. My father had always scolded or punished us whenever we caused trouble, but banishment?” He shook his head. “It wasn’t a possibility in our minds; we were always given allowances and excuses due to our status.”

“Just crossed a line you two didn’t know was there,” Clint remarked.

_Blues, violets, reds, and golds revolved around his obscured, shadowed form as he fell through the boundless void of starry space, wind howling about his ears. On the surface, Jane and Darcy screamed and swerved their truck so to avoid the eye of the tumultuous whirl of hues. Thor’s hands came up in defense as he hit the side of the truck, the window cracking where his head impacted. The vehicle spun and skid to a stop in a cloud of dust, Jane, Darcy, and Erik staring slack-jawed at each other in shock before ripping off their seat belts and jumping out of the truck._

_They swung the beams of their flashlights to Thor’s figure, lying prone on his side on the ground. Darcy stated in her defense, “I think that was legally your fault.”_

_“Get the first-aid kit,” Jane ordered as she kneeled down, addressing him, “Do me a favour and don’t be dead.” Thor wheezed and blinked rapidly in the artificial light, turning over to affix confused blue eyes onto Jane, who was crouched over him._

_“Whoa, does he need CPR? ‘Cause I totally know CPR,” Darcy breathed._

Tony and Clint chuckled, Thor blushing slightly with a smile.

_The lingering wind tossed Jane’s hair as she sighed in relief, though her expression displayed amazement as she too was taken by Thor’s features. He groaned and rolled onto his back, her eyes relaxing at the break from his stare. She shifted her eyes from side to side in confusion and wondered, “Where did he come from?”_

_Erik threw his hand out in a gesture showing his confusion also, Thor stumbling to his feet with a short yell. He panted as he looked around, Jane asking, “You alright?”_

_“Hammer?” he called, staggering around the edge of an intricately designed circle before repeating, “Hammer?!”_

_“Yeah, we can tell you’re hammered – it’s pretty obvious,” Darcy remarked with a nod._

Tony laughed again, Fury glaring at him.

_"Oh my god, Erik, look at this," Jane said, squatting down to study the runes imprinted in the sand by the Bifrost. "We have to move quickly before this all changes." Erik fell to one knee beside her as Thor wandered within the circle looking up at the sky._

_Erik stated, "Jane, we have to take him to the hospital."_

_"Father!" Thor called upward._

_“He’s fine,” Jane answered, “Look at him-”_

_“Heimdall, I know you can hear me – open the Bifrost!” Thor commanded._

_Erik and Jane stared at him, before she said, “Hospital – you go; I’ll stay,” and returned her attention to where she was copying the rim of the inscribed circle into a small notebook._

_“You,” Thor directed with a point at Erik’s lowered form, “what realm is this? Alfheim, Nornheim?”_

_Darcy drew her taser and stood with it, and her flashlight, pointed at him as she carefully answered, “New Mexico.”_

_He looked affronted at the handheld weapon, beginning to rhetorically ask, “You dare threaten me, Thor, with so puny a weapon-” He was cut off by the electrical volts suddenly circuiting through his body, his muscles seizing up and his teeth clenched as he fell stiffly backwards._

Tony roared with laughter as Thor merely shrugged helplessly. “Nice one,” Clint laughed.

_Both Jane’s and Erik’s mouths were open in shock as they looked over to where Darcy still held her taser in front of her. “What? He was freaking me out!” she defended._

_Erik braced Thor’s head as he manoeuvred his torso into the back of the truck, saying to Darcy, “Next time you decide to taser somebody, make sure he’s already in the car, okay?” They grabbed Thor’s ankles and feet, pushing with grunts to slide his bulk fully into the vehicle. “Jane!” he called. “Come on.”_

_Jane ran from where she had been reproducing the runes to the side of the truck, slamming the door shut._

_The vehicle drove away from the site, its headlights the only illumination in the dark of the desert. In the clouds obscuring the starry sky there was an abrupt flash of light, an object streaking down to crash to the earth with a flash and plume of sand._

“Oh, so you don’t have Mjolnir?” Bruce posed to Thor, who shook his head.

“Pretty sure that’s why he was calling for his hammer,” Tony chortled.

_Cars sped past on the road in front of a pristine, glass-walled, well-lit building as their truck exited into the parking lot. A sign shone ‘County Hospital’ as they headed towards the emergency entrance. Inside a white walled receiving area, a receptionist asked Jane, Darcy, and Erik, “Name?” in reference to Thor’s prone form._

_Jane looked from him to her figure, answering hesitantly, “He said it was Thor.” She turned to Erik with her lip bit in awkwardness as the brunette receptionist spelt the name aloud,_

_“T-H-O-R, and your relationship to him?”_

_“I’ve never met him before,” she answered._

_“-until she hit him with the car,” Darcy inserted._

_“I grazed him,” Jane protested, adding, “but she tasered him.”_

_“Yes I did,” she admitted proudly._

Natasha smirked.

_Thor awoke in a pastel blue room, the fluorescent lights above shining down to highlight the x-rays of his spinal column and knees hung up on the illuminator. A medical employee garbed in blue scrubs stood over him with a stethoscope hung from his neck, smiling and greeting, “Hi,” once he realized he was awake._

_Thor looked unnerved at the needle the doctor was inserting into his arm, and he explained for him, “Just taking a little blood.”_

_Thor ripped his arm away and shouted, aghast, “How dare you attack the son of Odin!”_

Steve winced and willed, “I hope you didn’t hurt any of them too badly.”

Thor frowned and answered, “I don’t think I did, but I do not recall – I was very confused.” Bruce, Tony, and Natasha sympathized with nods.

_He pitched forward and sat upright on the small bed, trying to wrestle his arm from the doctor._

_“I need some help,” he appealed, the nurses in the room moving to restrain Thor._

_“Bring me a healing stone, you savages!” Thor ordered as he thrashed. Giving up on verbal argument he punched the male nurse on his right in the nose as he was forced down, shoving the one on his other side away and into the x-ray illumination board mounted on the far wall as he shot up again. “Call security!” the remaining female in a white lab coat ordered before Thor kicked her off. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood to stride angrily towards the exit, lifting another male nurse who had run to stop him by the waist and hurling him into the wall as well._

_The male that had been punched rushed him and tried to pin Thor to one of the other walls, the doctor on the phone caught in the crossfire and shoved down onto the counter. Thor freed one of his arms and was able to force the man away from him and onto one of the medical trolleys. Another nurse tried to restrain him from the back as two security guards arrived, but Thor flung him off as well as the guard who had come in behind._

_The nurses and guards finally managed to surround and swarm him, almost half a dozen working to restrain his thrashing torso and arms. Thor was forced into the doors of the room and held there, his voice growling, “You’re no match for the mighty T-” before the female doctor jabbed a needle into his neck and tranquilized him. Thor’s eyes went wide and his jaw slack before his body went limp, his forehead sliding down the glass of the door’s window._

Thor’s teammates’ expressions showed their frustration at the scene, understanding that the hospital staff had to act and yet sympathizing with Thor’s confusion and desire to escape.

“It’s impressive that while you were human you were able to throw off so many people,” Bruce praised.

Clint snorted. “Wait ‘til you see the damage he did to SHIELD.”

_Out in the desert, a red pick-up truck drove along a dirt road up a tall dune of sand. When the vehicle came to the crest of the mound the road wound to the right, an enormous crater the focus of the driver's view. Mjolnir had dropped from a great height, her weight impacting the ground such that the shockwave had shifted the sand beneath her to form a basin at which she was the center._

_The red truck had driven off the road and to the site, a thick, moustached blond parking and getting out of his vehicle to stride curiously over the edge of and down into the crater. He gazed at Mjolnir's leather-wrapped handle in consideration before grasping it with both hands and trying to pull her free. After a few seconds of straining he released her with an exhale, putting his hands into his pockets and perplexedly uttering, "Huh."_

“Before the little spell your dad put on it, could just anyone lift it?” Tony asked.

“I doubt any mortal could, friend Tony. Her weight is immense and I’m sure a mortal’s muscles would tear at the effort,” Thor explained. “But yes, some others from the other realms have taken her occasionally.

“She has chosen me though, and is faithful to me in battle – I don’t believe she would allow herself to be used against me. Now, with my father’s spell cast upon her, I’m not sure if she would allow a mortal to wield her. I’m unfamiliar with the ways of spell casting. My father may have issued it as a limitation specified for me, or it may be that anyone deemed ‘worthy’ is able to hold her power.”

“The Hulk couldn’t lift it,” Agent Hill pointed out.

“It’s not a feat of strength, though, is it? It’s about an internal quality,” Bruce informed. Thor nodded.

“Can I have a go?” Tony asked with a smirk.

“The hammer is Thor’s – we’re not going to have a competition over who gets to fight with it,” Fury closed.

“If we all tried to lift- Her? -then whoever couldn’t would envious of whoever could,” Natasha clarified. “It’s better if we don’t try at all.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled.

_A green town sign was shown at the side of the road, stating in stark white letters:_

_Puente Antiguo_

_CITY LIMIT_  
 _POP 2,175 ELEV 6,056_

Tony scoffed, “I had more people working in my tower!”

“Hush,” Steve chided.

_A gas station connected to a 7-Eleven was on the right side of the main road with a tow away across from it, several other beige buildings lining the street past the sole set of traffic lights. People walked along the sidewalks, the surrounding desert visible from any point on the roads in the small town._

_“You don’t think this was just a magnetic storm, do you?” Erik asked Jane gruffly as he approached where she was leaning over her desk analyzing the data on one of the monitors. The large space was filled with desks and tables piled with scientific equipment with exposed wiring, stacked boxes of loose papers, and several computers._

_“Look,” Jane started, “the lensing around these edges?” She stood and declared in wonder, “Is characteristic of an Einstein-Rosen bridge,” Erik finished the identification with her, nodding._

_Darcy pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and asked, “A what?” looking between the two._

_Erik looked to her in confusion and asked, “I thought you were a science major?”_

_“Political science.”_

“Why is she there then?” Agent Hill asked.

_“She was the only applicant,” Jane explained, returning her attention to the monitor._

_He turned to face her and held up his hands a foot apart, touching thumb to index finger on each to form circles and detailing, “An Einstein-Rosen bridge is a theoretical connection,” bringing one hand over to the other and back again, “between two different points in space-time-”_

_Jane cut him off by simplifying, “It’s a wormhole,” as she circled around for Darcy, who had her bottom lip between her teeth in disorientation. Darcy hummed in interest as she carried a sheet of paper away from the cluttered table they were hovering around. “Erik,” Jane called, removing a sheet of paper from the printer tray and ordering, “look – what do you see?” as she handed it to him._

_“Stars,” he answered._

_“Yeah, but not our stars,” Jane replied. “See, this-” she began, reaching to pull another piece of paper from the surface of the desk and referring to it, “-is the star alignment for our quadrant this time of year, and unless Ursa Minor decided to take a day off these are someone else’s constellations.”_

_“Hey, check this out,” Darcy called, beckoning the two over to the large standing bulletin board pinned with images of the event through the different camera lenses. Jane and Erik advanced, all three staring in disbelief._

_“No, it can’t be,” Erik breathed, stepping closer to the picture that Darcy had just put up._

_Jane turned and took the wide plastic glasses off her head, striding with purpose out of the building while saying, “I think I left something at the hospital.”_

_The image is filled with a soft mass of pink streaking from the clouds above downward, a blurred figure of a man being driven within it._

“Yeah, better go fetch him,” Clint remarked.

_Overlooking Asgard and the gilded partitions of the palace below, Odin stood in an open balcony still garbed in his armour._

“And~ we’re back on Asgard,” Tony observed.

“Just when things finally get interesting down here,” Clint mumbled.

_Frigga marched swiftly to his side, curled fair hair brought over her shoulder and in a long flowing grey dress, and gasped, horrified, “How could you have done this?”_

“Do your parents often fight? Just a question,” Bruce piped.

Thor shook his head, answering, “Never in public, nor where my brother or I could see them,” as he leaned forward in interest.

_“Do you understand what he has set in motion? He’s taken us to the brink of war,” Odin yelled._

_“-but banishment?! You would lose him forever?” she questioned, screaming, “He’s your son!”_

_“And what would you have done?” he asked as he gazed steadily at her._

_“I would not have exiled him to a world of mortals, stripped of his powers to suffer alone,” she declared, finishing softly with a minute shake of her head, “I would not have had the heart.”_

_“That is why I am king,” Odin asserted. Frigga stood facing him, moving to say something before Odin defended, “I too grieve,” as he held his fist to his breast, “the loss of our son.” He lowered his arm and averted his eyes to the floor, concluding softly, “But there are some things that even I cannot undo.”_

_“You can bring him back-”_

_“No!” Odin stated firmly,_

Thor winced in his seat, shoulders slumping. He received sympathetic expressions from his teammates.

_“His fate it in his own hands now.” He swept his cape aside so to walk off, back to his wife’s reproving stare._

“He did give you a chance at Mjolnir, once you’d changed,” Steve argued.

Thor nodded, “Yes. I do not blame my father for his decision to banish me.”

_Thor awoke in another narrow hospital bed, his wrists and ankles fastened to the frame with Velcro. He looked at them and tugged insistently, teeth bared and face turning red as he huffed out, “I-It’s – not – possible.” He wheezed as he lay still for a few seconds, before twisting his left arm and manoeuvring his hand through the restraint._

“Atta boy,” Tony commended, reaching over to smack his shoulder. Thor grinned.

_Outside the county hospital, Jane, Darcy, and Erik ran through the entrance. They sprinted down a hallway, past the room where Thor had been kept before. The nurses and doctors that had eventually held him were in the room making repairs and describing to security what had happened and the extent of the damage. Erik lagged behind the girls as he stared into the room with shocked awe, before jogging to catch up._

_They got to his new room to find an empty bed with Velcro cuffs piled on the rumpled sheets. “Ooh my god,” Darcy uttered as they dashed out of the room again._

_They piled back into their truck with sighs, Jane in the driver’s seat with her hands on the wheel pronouncing, “I just lost my most important piece of evidence – typical.”_

_“So now what?” Darcy asked from the back, adjusting her glasses._

_“We find him,” she stated._

_“Did you see what he did in there? I’m not sure finding him is the best idea,” Erik commented from her side._

_“Well our data can’t tell us what it was like to be inside that event and he can. So, we’re going to find him.”_

_“Okay,” Darcy agreed, exchanging the batteries in her taser._

_“We’re going to look all over New Mexico?” Erik queried._

_“Exactly,” Jane confirmed, starting the engine and switching gears. She braced her hand against the back of Erik’s headrest as she looked over her shoulder to reverse, watching their progress through the rear window. She began backing up only for Thor to wander out behind the vehicle and be hit with a screech._

_“What?!”_

Tony and Clint howled with laughter as Steve chuckled, Natasha hiding an amused smile behind her hand.

“That’s hilarious,” Tony gasped when he’d regained his breath. “They hit you again!”

_Thor lay sprawled on the dirt as they exited the truck and rushed to him, Jane vowing, “I’m so sorry – I swear I’m not doing this on purpose,” as they knelt along his sides._

“Great start to a relationship,” Clint nodded to his teammates’ smiles.

_At the crater, word had spread and had resulted in dozens of men pulling up in their pick-ups and lining up to get a chance to try and pull Mjolnir out of the rock she had landed in. There were couples sitting, as well as standing, and others who brought beer, coolers, and lawn chairs to settle in to watch the spectacle. One large male was cheering on the contestants as he grilled some hotdogs on a barbeque._

“What a party,” Steve commented.

Tony snorted. “It’s not a party unless I’m there, and there’s alcohol,” he smirked. Steve rolled his eyes.

_A man gripped Mjolnir’s handle and pulled, baring his teeth at the effort before the thicker male behind him pat him on the shoulder and ushered him out of the way. He kicked the rock in frustration as he abandoned the attempt, the man behind finishing his beer while he waved the other away. Up on the crest of the crater a white truck backed up with a man standing in the box, hitting the roof to signal the driver to park. Another male ran down the dirt edge with a long chain, wrapping it around Mjolnir’s handle. The truck began to drive until the chain was taut, then its wheels skid in the sand and the entire box and its contents were flipped towards Mjolnir, her position not wavering an inch._

Tony whistled. “Well, there you go.”

_The population inside the crater exclaimed and laughed at the result, the driver peeking his head out the window in sunglasses and a cap and asking, “Did it work?”_

_A black car with tinted windows rolled up to the upper ridge, the driver’s door opening and a loafer-clad foot stepping out onto the desert sand. A brunet in a black suit stood looking down at the landing site of Mjolnir for a second before he gently took off his sunglasses and turned away to lift his cell phone to his ear. “Sir, we’ve found it,” he uttered solemnly._

There was silence from the Avengers as they took in the sight of the agent that they had lost in the battle on the Helicarrier. Fury observed them all before closing his eyes in defeat for a few seconds and commanding into his earpiece, “It’s time.”

All but Agent Hill looked at him in confusion, Tony warily asking, “Time for what?” just as the door opened-

-and in walked SHIELD agent Phil Coulson.


	5. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disc arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. Distrust brews towards SHIELD before they watch how Loki deals with the news of his adoption.

“You son of a bitch,” Tony snarled as he jumped to his feet, spinning and glaring at Fury.

There was shocked silence and gaping from the others, until Thor stood and crushed Coulson in a hug, exclaiming, “Son of Coul! How fortunate it is that you’re alive!” Steve stepped over to him as well and clapped him lightly on the shoulder, smiling in appreciation.

Clint and Natasha got to their feet slowly and warily approached their handler, looking him over. Phil Coulson was dressed as impeccably as he always was: dark suit over a white collared shirt, black tie. As he moved further into the room though, the assassins were able to note his tense shoulders and the stiff manner in which he moved his torso. He noticed them taking in his careful movements and relayed, “I’m not cleared for duty yet.”

“Of course not, you were stabbed through the chest,” Tony retorted, then his eyes softened and he added earnestly with a smile, “Nice to see you.” Twisting to face Fury again, his expression darkened as he growled, “I’d like an explanation, if you please.”

“You needed something-” Fury started, only to be cut off by Tony snapping,

“You had no right, you fucking manipulative bastard!”

“Tony,” Steve gently chided for his language, moving to stand alongside him. Steve faced Director Fury with his arms crossed over his chest and shoulders back, unyielding in his stance and gaze. 

Director Fury exhaled and began again, “You needed a cause to pull you all together – some motivation. Without all of you working as a team, we would have lost everything. I made the call to keep Agent Coulson’s critical, but alive, condition from you.”

Tony wordlessly growled, his hands fisting at his sides. Steve lifted his chin and proclaimed, “I understand your reasoning-” He was interrupted by Tony cursing him before he closed his eyes for a second and held up a hand to stop him, continuing, “-but I will not allow any further emotional manipulation to target my team. No matter the excuse.” Steve stood strong in the face of Fury’s narrowed eye, leaning forward to add, “You assembled us to deal with the enemies you couldn’t – if we are to work with SHIELD then we have to be able to trust the information we’re getting and the instructions you’re giving us. How many times have you withheld important information from us in this one situation with Loki? Rest assured I won’t be allowing any of the members of my team to blindly listen to you without all of us screening the ‘facts’ you supply first.”

Fury’s fierce frown met Steve’s determined stare until the director of SHIELD nodded in reluctant understanding.

The tense atmosphere persevered for a few minutes before Coulson asked, “Why am I on screen?” Clint and Natasha began explaining the situation with the DVD and the scenes he had missed while Thor’s booming voice interrupted them occasionally to insert details.

Steve turned from Fury to walk back to his seat, Tony settling in the chair beside him. “You did good, Cap,” Tony supported with a grin. He gave him a small smile in thanks for the reassurance.

Once Phil was caught up, they all took their seats and the movie resumed playing.

_Thor stood in a small bathroom, door open, scrutinizing the dark, low-hanging jeans that he had changed into. Shirtless, he continued to adjust how the pants sat on his hips, appearing confused at the material and fit. Erik and Darcy sat at a table in the adjoining room, Jane pacing behind where they were seated. She had her science journal in hand and was reading a page as she walked, but kept glancing up to admire Thor’s torso in the reflection in the full-length mirror._

_“You know, for a crazy, homeless person, he’s pretty cut,” Darcy stated, nodding in approval to his physique._

“Between you, Capsicle, and me, Clint must look like a troll,” Tony snickered. Clint raised an eyebrow.

“Your playboy rep’s cause of your money, not your looks – I’m hotter,” he stated cockily.

“You wish,” Tony retorted. 

Natasha shook her head, muttering, “Boys.”

“Pay attention,” Agent Hill demanded.

_Jane rolled her eyes at Darcy’s comment and reverent stare, returning her attention to her notebook as Thor grabbed the shirt that was lying on the counter and walked out into the room._

_“Hey, sorry I tased you!” Darcy called. Thor chose not to respond and instead paused at a desk he was passing, picking up one of the many wired devices that lay atop it in inquiry._

_“Excuse me,” Jane uttered in offense, repeating the phrase again as she trotted over to him to take the device away and return it to its place. Thor smirked down at her, his height being at least a foot taller, as she cleared her throat and appeared to jot something down into her journal. “Um-”_

_As he was preparing to don the shirt in his hands, he noticed something on it and held it out in front of her, asking, “What is this?” as he pointed to the nametag that read ‘Hello, my name is DONALD BLAKE M.D.’._

_“Oh,” she said, reaching to peel the sticker off, “my ex. Good with patients and bad with relationships. Ah,” she shook her head to refocus, explaining, “they were the only clothes I had that would fit you.”_

_“They will suffice,” Thor replied, striding away._

_“You’re welcome,” Jane murmured in his stead._

“It’s interesting how when we were watching you on Asgard it didn’t really click how you spoke and acted, but now that your speech and behaviour is in contrast to Jane’s it’s really quite the difference,” Bruce observed to nods.

_Erik and Darcy watched as Thor pulled on the shirt and walked past them, declaring, "This mortal form has grown weak – I need sustenance." Darcy visibly bit her tongue and raised her eyebrows towards Erik, who stared and crossed his arms in bafflement._

"So archaic," Tony jeered.

_The sky was dark behind thick streams of clouds, stars glimmering amongst rainbowed rays of reflected light high above shadowed golden towers speckled with lights from within._

“That’s Asgard,” Steve pointed out for Coulson.

“Should’ve seen it in the daylight,” Tony added wistfully.

_In a gilded lounge, several cushioned couches and wide chairs were arranged around a smoldering fire-pit piled with logs. Volstagg and Lady Sif were seated on the furniture, her staring into the flames as he watched Hogan pace. Fandral sat on the floor and Loki stood apart, statuesque, facing away from the others. “We should never have let him go,” Volstagg stated mournfully, chalice in hand._

_“There was no stopping him,” Sif assured._

_“At least he’s only banished, not dead,” Fandral commented, wearing a cloth, open vest that lent no pressure to his sore torso, “which is what we’d all be if that guard hadn’t told Odin where we’d gone.” Volstagg hissed at the firm pressure exerted as Hogan rubbed a salve onto the section of his forearm that had been frozen._

_Loki swallowed and looked down, gaze intent as he turned his hand and inspected it again, the colour still the pale tone that he was accustomed to._

_“How did the guard even know?” Volstagg wondered._

_Loki turned to him and answered, “I told him.”_

“So that’s what that was, before they left,” Tony concluded.

_They all stilled and looked to him, Fandral asking, “What?”_

_“I told him to go to Odin after we’d left,” Loki replied softly. “He should be flogged for taking so long – we never should have reached Jötunheim.”_

_Hogan turned his assessing gaze onto him as Volstagg stared before shouting, “You told the guard?”_

_“I saved our lives,” Loki defended, eyes red-rimmed as he idly scratched the palm of the hand he had previously been inspecting. “And Thor’s,” he continued. “I had no idea Father would banish him for what he did,” he implored._

“He’s really torn up about it,” Bruce mused.

“And do you see how he’s keeping an eye on that hand? He’s thrown completely off his game right now,” Tony asserted.

“My brother has been on the verge of tears this whole scene,” Thor stated quietly.

_“Loki,” Sif pleaded as she got to her feet to approach him, “you must go to the Allfather and convince him to change his mind.”_

_“If I do, then what?” he posed, leaning forward to confront her. “I love Thor more dearly than any of you, but you know what he is. He’s arrogant. He’s reckless. He’s dangerous. You saw how he was today,” he said gruffly, forcing them to recall Thor’s impulsive direction. “Is that what Asgard needs from its king?” he questioned rhetorically before he swiftly marched from their company._

Thor closed his eyes and sighed, beseeching his memory to latch onto his brother’s professions of love amidst his criticisms. None of the males in their family had ever been of the nature to often applaud each other for their triumphs or to speak of their unconditional love and support of each other. He had the Warriors Three and the Allfather had all of Asgard as well as his wife; it pained him to think of how much anguish he had caused his brother due to his lack of encouragement to assure him of his strengths.

_Lady Sif followed him for a couple of steps before halting and watching him exit, addressing the others, “He may speak of the good of Asgard, but he’s always been jealous of Thor.”_

Steve furrowed his brow and asked Thor, “I thought they were his friends?”

Thor shook his head in uncertainty, answering, “They are more my friends, and then his through me.”

_“We should be grateful to him – he saved our lives,” Volstagg included._

_“Laufey said there were traitors in the house of Odin,” Hogan recalled slowly, Sif’s vacant gaze shifting from side to side in contemplation of his words. “A master of magic could bring three Jötunns into Asgard.”_

_“Loki’s always been one for mischief, but you’re talking about something else entirely,” Fandral objected._

“I’m torn between being frustrated at his ‘friends’ not trusting him, and their skill in reasoning out that he’s the one behind it all,” Tony commented.

_The Casket of Ancient Winters sat upon its pedestal, an azure blue glow lighting the area around it. Loki approached steadily, eyes fixed on the artifact, until he stood before it with hands inching to reach up and grasp its handles._

“Oh shit,” Tony muttered.

_With a resigned shake of his head he inhaled deeply and grabbed the handles on either side of the prism._

“Oh damn.”

_His widened gaze jumped from one hand to the other and back again for a few seconds, then he lifted the Casket from its pedestal._

“Whoa-” Tony started again, before being elbowed lightly in the ribs by Steve. Fury glared at him as he smirked.

_His breaths were hurried as his worried eyes watched the skin on his hands for any change in pigmentation. The tips of his fingers first, then the rest of the digits, a deep blue colouring creeping past his knuckles-_

_“Stop!” Odin ordered, standing in a stiff golden robe by the elaborate double doors that led out of the Weapons’ Vault._

_“Am I cursed?” Loki asked, his shoulders tense as he faced away from his father._

_“No.”_

_“What am I?” He gingerly returned the Casket to its podium._

_“You’re my son,” Odin insisted._

_Loki allowed his arms to fall to his sides as he pivoted to face his ‘father’. His sapphire skin shone in the candle light, deep grooves and runes patterned throughout the surface of his forehead, cheekbones, chin, and neck, crimson eyes challenging the claim. “What more than that?” he whispered harshly, the blue hue gradually fading down past the collar of his leather robes._

_He approached the Allfather steadily, asking, “The Casket wasn’t the only thing you took from Jötunheim that day, was it?” His footsteps echoed off the far stone walls as he walked, until he stood at the base of the few stairs upon which Odin stood._

_“No,” he answered._

_**“In the aftermath of the battle I went into the temple and I found a baby,”** he explained. A Jötunn babe cried as he was lifted into the Allfather’s arms, **“Small, for a giant’s offspring,”** the back of his head braced carefully. His scarlet cape was in tatters, his horned, winged helmet battered and scratched above the closed lid of Odin’s right eye, gored and bloody. His lips twitched into a small smile as the baby quieted down. **“Abandoned – suffering – left to die,”** the blue skin reacted to the warmth of his hands, receding and mimicking the pale tone presented to him, **“Laufey’s son.”**_

Thor recoiled as his teammates furrowed their brows. “Laufey,” Clint began, “isn’t that-”

“The Jötunn King,” Thor breathed. Tears started to gather in his eyes as he imagined the pain that revelation would have caused his brother.

_“Laufey’s son,” Loki repeated in an empty voice as he swallowed, his eyes gazing aimlessly off to the side. Blinking, he looked up to the Allfather._

_“Yes,” Odin confirmed._

_“W-Why? You were knee-deep in Jötunn blood – why would you take me?”_

_“You were an innocent child-”_

_“No, you took me for a purpose,” Loki protested, panting. “What was it?” Odin just stared in sadness, watching his son break before his eyes. “TELL ME!” Loki screamed, faint tear tracks streaking down to his jaw line._

_“I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day: bring about an alliance, bring about a permanent peace – through you,” the Allfather explained unwillingly._

_“W-Wha-” Loki stuttered, eyebrows drawn together over his red-rimmed eyes as he breathed heavily._

_“But those plans no longer matter,” Odin said, averting his gaze._

_Loki gaped up at him for a few seconds before he started, aghast, “So I am no more than another stolen relic – locked up, here, until you might have use of me?”_

_“Why do you twist my words-”_

_“You could have told me what I was from the beginning – why didn’t you?”_

_“You’re my son. I wanted only to protect you from the truth,” Odin defended._

_“Why-y? Because I-I, I-I-I’m the monster that parents tell their children about at night?” he said, tears shining on his eyelashes and over the skin of his cheeks._

_“No-”_

_“You know it all makes sense, now,” Loki began, expression twisting in anger as he advanced up the stairs, “why you favoured Thor over me all. These. Years.” Odin felt for the floor as he sunk down onto the steps in weariness, still protesting to Loki’s vocalizations. “Because no matter how much you claimed to love me-” he yelled as he jabbed himself in the chest, the Allfather weakly reaching up for him, “-you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!”_

_His arm fell limply against Loki’s leg before it fell to the floor, his body unconscious and lying on its side along the twisted staircase that led out of the vault. Loki was bent at the waist looking down at him for a second before he crouched to kneel at his side, his hands hovering uselessly over the Allfather’s slumbering form. He slowly, clumsily, reached a hand to circle his wrist, feeling the steady pulse._

_His eyes were wide in distress as he observed the motionless figure, before he shouted, “Guards! Guards, please – help!” The Allfather’s guards stationed outside pushed through the tall, heavy doors to rush to their fallen king’s side as Loki stepped back._

Tony grit his teeth and turned away from the screen, eyes screwed tightly shut as if to block out the echoing of Loki’s words within his mind. ‘I’m the monster that parents tell their children about at night.. Why didn’t you tell me?.. Laufey’s son...you favoured Thor over me all. These. Years!..could never have a Frost Giant on the throne...you claimed to love me!’ He shook his head, as if the physical motion would help to scatter the parallels he was drawing between their situations. The absence of any acknowledgement, encouragement, or support from their fathers; they knew their actions (they) would never be good enough yet still tried so hard. He shook his head again and turned to see how Steve was dealing with this glimpse into Loki’s psyche.

Steve was not facing the screen anymore either, but unlike some of the others who were glaring down at the surface of the table they surrounded he was facing another with an expression of sympathy. Tony followed his gaze.

Thor was crying.

Thick streams of tears streaked down over his cheeks, his head bowed as his shoulders shook, his blond hair curtaining and shadowing his face. Steve slowly stood and cautiously approached the sobbing god, standing behind him and laying a supportive hand on his shoulder. Thor brought a hand up to circle Steve’s wrist in acceptance, grateful for the assistance as he worked to steady his breathing. 

“I know we expected a bit of a freak out, but I, personally, wasn’t expecting that,” Tony said with a weak smile. A few nods were motioned in response, but overall everyone was still working to absorb the insight provided.

Thor released Steve and stated, “I-I didn’t know of the circumstances that caused him to find out about his adoption, but... I-I never knew that he thought... He said he was a monster...” He winced at the mindset of his brother, and wondered if maybe this thought was what continually pushed him to enforce that Thor was not his brother every time he addressed him as such.

Natasha had leaned back in her chair and had her arms crossed, the fingers on one hand drumming along her upper arm as she thought. She hated to think that she had missed out on a vital piece of information in an interrogation, but with this revelation of Loki’s view of himself the conversation she had had with him could have another couple of meanings. "You’re a monster.” – “No, you brought the monster.” There was a certifiable pause before he had answered her; had he been speaking of himself in addition to his plan of using the Hulk? Had he meant that the unexpected challenge that they, the Avengers and SHIELD, had posed had brought out the monster in him? Or that SHIELD’s work on the Tesseract had brought him, the monster, here?

Thor leapt to his feet abruptly, a determined look in his eyes. He spun to face Director Fury and demanded, “I will see him.”

Fury narrowed his eye, but grudgingly nodded. The god of thunder immediately marched from the room. His teammates exchanged glances with each other as Fury, Agent Hill, and Agent Coulson followed him out. They quickly chased after them, Steve protesting, “Shouldn’t we give them a little privacy?” in reference to the gods’ meeting.

“You know you want to see this,” Tony said, Steve frowning but voicing no denial.

To their surprise Fury did not lead them down to Loki’s cell, but rather to a room off of the bridge. “Who has eyes on Loki?” he asked to the room filled with agents monitoring the security footage of the Helicarrier. They were beckoned over to a section on the left by a couple of agents, temporarily relieving them of their watch. They were all equipped with earpieces synched to the monitor before they saw Thor enter the room.

The room was so large there were shadows shrouding the corners despite the bright lights illuminating the cylindrical glass cage. Loki had been lounging with his back against the far surface, facing the door from his position on the floor, with his arms crossed over his chest, the chain between his wrists taut, and legs crossed at the ankles stretched out in front of him before Thor had entered. His eyes narrowed above the metal gag in either anger or discerning thought as to his not-brother’s appearance as he rose to his feet. His expression shifted into one of an amalgamation of indiscernible emotions as he noticed the tears drying on Thor’s cheeks.

“Let me enter,” Thor ordered the guards stationed in the room as he stood in front of the fortified strongbox.

Fury contacted the guards through his Bluetooth, commanding, “Allow him in.”

One agent opened the cage for Thor as the other trained a gun on Loki, disregarding the fact that he would have to tackle Thor in order to bypass him to escape. Thor stepped into the area while the glass slid shut behind him, locking them in. 

Thor held up his hands to show that he meant no harm, Mjolnir remaining clipped to his belt, as he approached, starting, “Brother-”

Loki cut him off with an incensed, throaty growl, the sound stifled by the metal encasing his jaw. Thor sighed and shook his head, retorting, “It does not matter the blood in your veins – we were raised together, we played together, we fought together-” He stopped and abandoned that argument when Loki rolled his eyes, striding up to him with purpose as Loki backed away as much as he was able and clenched his hands into fists, perhaps in preparation for a fight.

Thor reached out slowly so to clearly show his brother he was not going to strike him and lightly touched the back of the gag. Before he could be ordered not to by any of the agents, he released the mechanism silencing Loki and dropped it to the floor with a gentle smile.

For a brief moment Loki allowed himself to enjoy the movement of his jaw and ran his freed tongue over his teeth and lips; then his eyes narrowed on Thor. “Why?” he questioned, admitting to himself that he hoped straightforward language would dissuade Thor from returning the gag onto him afterward.

“So I can converse with you, of course,” Thor answered before enveloping his brother in a hug.

Loki’s eyes widened before they narrowed again as he struggled, but with his arms pinned to his sides by Thor’s hold and his limited movement because of the chains he could not free himself. “Let go of me!” he shrieked, continuing to squirm regardless of its lack-of results, managing to kick his not-brother in the shins a few times. “This is not conversing, you obtuse oaf!”

Whether Thor set him down because of the bruising or the comment was unclear, but he tenderly did. He stopped his brother from moving further away with hands holding his arms. Loki frowned at the affectionate treatment and spit, “I’m not made of glass – now, why are you here?”

Thor leaned forward so to whisper earnestly, “You are not a monster.”

Loki reeled back as far as he was able, eyes narrowing further into slits as he stared at his not-brother. “Where is this coming from?” he queried, gathering his composure and channelling his emotion of surprise – no others, certainly no feelings of assurance or comfort – into disinterest. “Besides, if you and your little friends thought that, then I wouldn’t be muzzled like a beast.”

Thor sighed. “We all know that your words are your deadliest weapon.”

Loki raised an eyebrow, stating mockingly, “Interesting, how it takes the mortals’ input for you to realize this – I’ve been manipulating you for centuries.”

Thor chuckled softly, agreeing, “Yes, everyone knew you were the cleverer one.”

Loki snarled and ripped himself from his not-brother’s arms, hissing, “What is this? What are you trying to get? You’ve won Midgard already.”

He frowned, answering softly, “I’m not trying to-”

“Yes you are – do you think me stupid? What do you mean to gain by use of this false praise?”

Thor growled, “My praise of you has never been false, brother! Why do you tear yourself from me? We were close, once.”

With teeth bared, Loki bit out, “Perhaps you’re imagining-”

“Did you mean what you said,” Thor whispered, cutting off his brother’s poisonous lies, “before my coronation?” Loki stepped away and moved to turn his back to him, but Thor grabbed him by the shoulders and held him fast. “I think you did. And let me tell you something:

“No matter the blood in your veins, no matter the actions you take against me or others under my guard, I will always strive to protect you as well – from yourself if need be – because you’re my brother, and my dearest friend. 

“Sometimes I’m envious – of your cunning, intellect, persuasion, magic – but never doubt that I love you as well.”

Loki stood still as a statue, eyes wide in shock at the solemn proclamation. Thor did not move away after he had finished speaking, instead stepping closer to cautiously wrap his brother in a hug again, waiting for a reaction.

It took a few minutes for the shock to fade, but when it did Loki was hysterical.

He screamed wordlessly and lashed out, trying to scratch at Thor’s arms and face as he kicked out of his embrace. Thor jumped back and fended off the blows as his brother pursued him, determined to not harm him. “HOW DARE YOU?!” Loki screeched. “GET OUT! GET OUT! I HATE YOU!” 

Thor winced and leapt out through the opening of the cage as the glass behind him slid aside then shut again, Loki throwing himself against it. “Be well, brother,” he whispered before exiting the room fully.

Loki screamed at him again before collapsing to his knees and punching the floor, even emotionally out of control remembering that he would be dropped from the Helicarrier should he strike the glass walls. He struck the floor again, the knuckles of his hand breaking before he reformed and healed them. His cries degenerated into wailing sobs as he bent forward and pressed his forehead to the cracked floor, fingers tearing at the roots of his hair. “I hate you. I hate you,” he repeated, over and over, striving for some conviction in his whines.

His assertions trailed off eventually, morphing into an internal mantra of ‘hate me, hate me’ as he continued to silently cry.


	6. Empathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. They attempt to understand his mentality while trying not to bias themselves with the parallels drawn.

“I think we all need a break,” Bruce suggested, taking out his earpiece and quickly walking out of the control room. He wandered the halls for a few minutes, breathing in, and out.

In, out.

He found the many empty dorms for agents staying overnight; peeking into one, and finding it bare except for basic furnishings, he entered and locked the door behind him.

Inhale, exhale.

He settled cross-legged on the clean, tiled floor. Not as natural as dirt out in the open air, but more normal than the tarmac that coated the flooring of the rest of the Helicarrier.

Quiet, calm.

He was calm.

His breathing had steadied, and he had pacified the other guy’s agitation. He should have more control over this sensitivity to emotion – he was a risk to everyone around him.

He kept half a mind on his measured breathing as he distantly perused and scrutinized the most recent insights exposed to them regarding Loki. His perception of himself struck a cord within him; the word he used: monster. _Monster, danger, threat._ It was just how they dealt with the awareness that differed. Bruce had moved to destroy it, and then when he could not he strove to suppress it; when that had not worked, some minimal control had been all he could exert over it.

Loki had decided to give in to his other side, to succumb to its nature. He had apparently endeavoured his whole life to defy the negative expectations imposed upon him from others, so when it was revealed to him that he was a Frost Giant, the monstrous and loathed enemy of the Asgardians, he accepted the stereotypes believed and adapted his character to fit. 

He had surrendered to a negative image and wrought destruction. Whenever the other guy overwhelmed him, he killed people too.

But in seeking control and some form of management of his problem, he had become a part of a team that acknowledged the danger he posed, yet did not blame or judge him for it. They directed the other guy to do good, instead of bad. And they were strong enough and worked with an agency that had enough manpower to restrain the other guy if he ever turned against them.

He inhaled deeply and got to his feet so to exit the small room, shuffling tentatively down the hall back towards the bridge. Once there, he hunched his shoulders and slunk across to the room he had vacated before, where they had watched Thor confront Loki on the monitor. All of his teammates had dispersed, and only the SHIELD agents remained. He lowered his eyes and tried to blend into the wall further, exceedingly uncomfortable in any government personnel’s presence. But he had come for a purpose, and it was not to talk to them nor confer with his – friends? – colleagues about Loki.

He leaned forward slightly and peered over the rims of his glasses at the monitored screens, seeing Loki seated in the middle of his cell. He did not appear to be hysterical any longer, but rather annoyed, as usual, so he gave a determined nod as he spun on his heel and exited.

Making his way onto the lower level that held the cell, Bruce slipped in quietly to find Loki sitting in the center of the area where he had last seen him. His arms loosely circled the knees that were drawn up to his chest as he glared at him from his position on the floor. “To what do I owe this visit, then, beast? I will not permit anyone else into my domain so to manhandle me,” Loki seethed.

Bruce held up his hands to show that he had no intention of crowding him, and answered, “Just checking up on you. I noticed that medical hadn’t checked you out – and I- the other guy- did do some damage, I figure.”

Loki sneered so to mask his surprise at the offer of aid, and from the creature that had harmed him, no less. “I am a god –” he spit, gracefully standing to his feet to snarl down at the animal pretending to be a man, “you cannot hope to compare the constitution of my superior body to that of your pathetic mortal one. I am uninjured from your actions.”

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the way Loki was careful about moving his torso.

He noticed his discerning gaze and glared, stating dismissively, “Thor, the brute, probably bruised several ribs in his hold.”

“His hug, you mean,” he corrected with a raised eyebrow.

“I would sooner think a wild bilgesnipe would not harm me than that careless fool.”

 _How telling,_ Bruce mused. He observed aloud, “You put up quite the walls between you and he.” Loki glared. “You’re only prepared to with him though, aren’t you? No one else really tries to get close to you.”

“With good reason,” Loki smirked. He tilted his head to the side and leaned forward, “Perhaps you should reveal your true self as well.”

Bruce glared before closing his eyes and breathing: in, out. He rubbed the bridge of his nose underneath the wire of his glasses as Loki continued softly, “It must be so frustrating to pretend to be something you are not.”

He looked up to meet the jaded blue eyes of the God of Mischief, and whispered, “You know it is.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed from their cajoling stare, countering smoothly, “But I broke free of the expectations placed upon me, you see.”

“No, you’ve only heaped more on yourself.”

“You are remarkably unintelligent,” Loki stated with a condescending smirk. “Have you forgotten already my actions in the past few days?”

“So that’s your monster, is it?” he asked, watching for any reaction to the term. Loki could not completely repress the minute twitch at the tips of his fingers or the slight pursing of his lips before he recovered and grinned maliciously. “Then why do you still look like that?”

“What?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Bruce took a step closer to the glass of the cage, repeating, “If your true self is satisfied by death and destruction, why are you still in your Asgardian form? If you’re comfortable with this spiteful activity, why are you still hiding your heritage?”

Loki snarled and leapt at the glass separating them, raising a hand to point in warning towards him. Bruce continued confidently, “That’s your tell. I know how it is having another underneath my skin – but you aren’t the same. The other guy is separate, reduced to instinct and base emotional responses and filled with anger and hate.

“You’re hurt, but your Frost Giant form is superficial – it doesn’t change who you are.” And without another word, Bruce walked out.

Loki glared at the exit as the metal doors slid shut with a hiss of air, working to gather his thoughts through his confusion at the encounter.

* * *

Tony had abandoned the group shortly after Bruce had, briskly walking out of the control center and down the hallway. Entering an elevator, he pressed one of the buttons for a lower floor, hands in his pockets and weight shifting from foot to foot as he waited until the doors slid open again. Stepping quickly out, he moved down the corridor and took a left to dart into one of the rooms at the beginning of the new hall. 

Pepper was resting on top of the covers of a queen-sized bed, her once immaculate hair and clothing mused. He shut the door softly behind him and leaned his back against it for a moment, taking in the suitcase in the corner. Must be what she packed for D.C, he mused. He removed his shoes before pacing the length of the room to sort his thoughts, not wanting to disturb her.

His mind was having a difficult time comprehending all that he had witnessed. Tony had never paused to think about his enemies’ motivations – of course, those that he had faced before were either concerned with power or money or recognition. Vanko had some personal motivation for targeting him, but that was the extent of it. Everyone who he had had to face off against before either vocalized their goals or he knew them already.

Perhaps it was his fault; he had assumed that an alien professing superiority leading an army to enslave the Earth was in it solely for the attention. That was a part of Loki’s motivation, Tony was sure – who doesn’t need a little attention? – but all of his issues have not surfaced in the movie yet. It was evident in that currently Loki was simply looking lost and betrayed, but he had not broken.

And when Loki had arrived on Earth angry and insane, he had definitely been broken.

“What’s happened?”

Tony paused in his pacing to take in Pepper’s alert and wary expression. He had missed her awakening and shifting to sit up in the middle of the bed. “Nothing,” he answered, turning to resume pacing.

She sighed. “Tony,” she called, beckoning him over to the bed.

He smirked and sauntered over, replying surprised, “Why Pep, I didn’t think you had it in you to join the Mile High Club.”

She rolled her eyes as she tugged him down to sit beside her. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Tony averted his eyes and muttered, “Loki’s being annoying.”

Pepper furrowed her fair eyebrows and wondered, “Isn’t he restrained?”

He shrugged and answered with a ‘yeah’ as fell back to sprawl over the wrinkled comforter. He explained, “You know how we’re all watching that disc that’s supposed to enlighten us about Loki’s goals and things?” He received a nod. “Well we haven’t learned anything about the Chitauri yet, but it’s been...

“Look,” he started again, sitting up and facing her, “it’s been showing us Thor when he was in New Mexico a couple years ago, but that was all in his file,” he dismissed with a hand gesture. “It’s also been showing us what was happening on Asgard.

“You’d love it. I’d love to visit – it’s all gold and metal and magic that I need to study-”

“Tony,” she called to pull his attention back, “what did you see?”

“...it’s just- I could’ve been him!” he shouted, jumping to his feet and pacing furiously. “The same ‘relationship’ with his dad, the same overshadowing – he was dismissed as insignificant compared to Thor, and Dad was always so excited and proud when he talked about Captain America-

“If I had reacted worse to Afghanistan, or didn’t have you and Rhodey- He had no one, Pep. And then he finds out he’s adopted – and not even just like we have it here, no – he’s from another species. The species that everyone on Asgard was raised to hate and despise.

“He called himself a monster,” he whispered, raking his fingers through his hair. “And right now he’s just confused and betrayed and angry, but I know that we’re going to have to watch more – him breaking. Because he’s wasn’t this crazy, or power-hungry, or villainy before, he was just...

“He was intelligent and powerful, and I can’t even grasp the extent of it because we’re watching him degenerate into the insane megalomaniac that tried to take over the world!” He threw his hands into the air with a final huff, collapsing back onto the bed and closing his eyes.

Pepper sat in silence absorbing his thoughts for a few seconds further before adjusting her position so she was sitting with her back against the headboard. She drew his head into her lap and ran her fingers through his dishevelled hair, consoling softly, “It’s okay for you to watch what pushed him to this point with understanding, when there are so many parallels. And yes, there’s going to be more to it.

“But what you have to do is separate yourself from your sympathy until the end of it. If then you can realistically see him as just lost and bitter and in need of guidance so that he can work towards healing, like you, then I will support you.

“But I want you to promise me that if, after you’ve watched all of his actions, you think he’s too far gone and won’t want or accept any help, that you will leave him be and not hurt yourself dwelling over what he’s become.

“Because then no, you couldn’t have been him – you chose to (grudgingly) let others in and help you, and now you’re saving others. You didn’t give in to the feelings that justified revenge and needless violence; you’re protecting people.”

Tony exhaled heavily and sat up, kissing her strongly. “Thank you,” he murmured with a smile. “You’re an angel.”

“I have to be, to put up with you,” she joked haughtily, pressing her lips against his gently once more before ushering him out. “Go on, I’m sure your team is waiting for you.”

He stood and returned his feet to his shoes before grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Would you care to accompany me, Ms. Potts?"

She smiled softly before professionally nodding, "I would be honoured, Mr. Stark."

They exited and weaved through the halls to an elevator, rising up a floor. Pepper hurriedly redid her ponytail and straightened out her clothes to Tony’s objection of ‘but I like the impression it makes!’ She hit him upside the head.

When the elevator doors slid open Tony led her to one of the conference rooms adjacent to the bridge, the rest of the team gathered. “Phil,” she greeted happily at the sight of the agent, but then frowned at the bandages showing at his collar. “What happened?”

Tony quickly skirted around to the other side of the table to take his seat as Agent Coulson debriefed her on the events she had missed on the Helicarrier. I guess she would’ve only known about whatever the news crews caught on camera, Tony thought. He winced at her gasp, eyes darting over to see her fuss over the agent, evidently having heard about his injury.

Director Fury and Agent Hill entered and took in the addition, Agent Hill informing, “We may have to ask you to leave, Ms. Potts, if the disc doesn’t play. There’s apparently a set of qualities that it checks for in the audience.”

“I understand,” she replied, circling to take a seat beside Tony. “You didn’t tell me about him ‘dying’,” she whispered in accusation, glaring.

“We should start this thing up again!” he called loudly as he gestured for everyone to take a seat, avoiding Pepper’s gaze.

They all settled down in the chairs as Steve addressed Thor, “There’s just one thing that I don’t understand – why did your father collapse?”

“Yeah, did he have a heart attack or something?” Clint asked.

Thor frowned in confusion at Clint’s addition, replying, “It is obvious that no one attacked his heart, friend Clint. I do not understand why-”

“Ignore him,” Tony interrupted. “What happened?”

“Ah, well though the magnitude of the Allfather’s powers cannot be grasped by those who have not worn the crown, to my knowledge they need to be recharged every so often. My father will fall into a deep sleep for a time period that has varied from a few hours to a fortnight, his body left vulnerable. He had been putting the Odinsleep off until after my coronation, but then with the threat of war he continued to persevere against the need until his body enforced it.”

“The timing was awful,” Natasha remarked.

Thor nodded, acknowledging, “Yes. My brother was not able to hear my father’s explanation or reassurances as to his place in the family.”

_A diner on a street corner was shown-_

“We’re on Earth right now,” Tony clarified for Pepper. “New Mexico.”

_-Jane’s voice asking, “How’d you get inside that cloud?” as Thor speared several pieces of pancake and shovelled them into his mouth._

_“Also, how could you eat an entire box of Poptarts and still be this hungry?” Darcy added as she watched him eat in awe. Erik stared at him from his other side as Thor peered contemplatively into his coffee mug before finishing the beverage while still chewing. Jane was leaning forward opposite him, elbows on the table, awaiting an answer to her question as Thor now considered the empty mug._

_“This drink, I like it,” he stated through a mouthful of pancakes._

_“I know, that’s great right-” Darcy contributed._

_“Another!” he shouted, throwing it to the floor as the two women screamed and all the occupants of the establishment started. Thor’s expression was nonchalant._

Thor smiled bashfully as his teammates laughed around him, Clint sighing, “Smooth,” after he had regained his breath.

_A waitress behind the counter peered over her glasses at the commotion as Darcy directed her astonished gaze onto Jane in search of commiseration at the behaviour. “Sorry, Izzy – little accident,” Jane covered, crouching down to pick up the larger pieces of ceramic to Thor’s confused stare._

_Jane stood and asked in disbelief, “What was that?” as another waitress came over to sweep up the remaining shards._

_“It was delicious. I want another,” he defended simply._

_“Well you could have just said so,” she fought, retaking her seat._

_“I just did,” Thor chortled._

_“No, I mean, ask – nicely.”_

_“I meant no disrespect,” he implored._

_“Alright, well no more smashing. Deal?”_

_He leaned back and considered her thoughtfully for a second before vowing, “You have my word.”_

“‘You have my word’,” Tony mocked with a chuckle.

“I think that’s how all men should make promises,” Pepper stated with a complimenting smile towards Thor.

He grinned and said earnestly, “Thank you, Lady Pepper,” as Tony rolled his eyes.

_“Good,” Jane said with a nod as a couple men entered the diner through the entrance behind her, a bell ringing as they greeted a couple at a booth they passed. Darcy glanced between her and Thor at the oath as one of the men’s voices carried from the counter his request of ‘the usual please, Izzy.’_

_As the three traded awkward glances as Thor continued eating, the other man continued to the waitress, “You missed all the excitement out at the crater. Saying some kind of satellite landed out in the desert-”_

_Jane turned to face the men’s backs as the conversation resumed, Erik eavesdropping as well, “Yeah, we were having a good time with it – until the feds showed up.”_

_“‘Scuse me, did you say there was a satellite crash?” Jane interrupted._

_They turned to face her as one of them answered, “Yeah.”_

_Thor remained concentrated on his breakfast as Darcy finally gave in and said to him, “Oh my god, this is going on Facebook.” She held up her phone and raised the camera, issuing a ‘smile!’ as it clicked to capture his face. He kept eating as Jane turned to cast her an astounded look._

_“What did it look like? The satellite,” Erik queried._

_“Well,” he began with a scoff, “I don’t know anything about satellites – but it was heavy. I mean, nobody could lift it.” This caught Thor’s attention and he smiled, standing to approach them as they turned to drink their coffee. “They said it was radioactive. I had my hands all over it,” he said to the other, the waitress warily watching Thor draw closer from behind the counter._

_“Which way?” Thor demanded as he grabbed the man who was speaking by the shoulder._

_“Oh, uh,” he stuttered, casting his eyes between his friend and Thor’s determined gaze, “fifty miles west of here.”_

_Thor turned to exit the diner, the other man calling, “Well I wouldn’t waste my time – looked like the whole army was coming when we left.” Jane, Erik, and Darcy hurried to follow him out._

_The tires of the car turning at the intersection screeched as it was forced to brake abruptly, Thor having strode absentmindedly down the street. The driver shouted, “Dumbass!” as Thor paused in the middle of the intersection to look up into the sky to find his bearing, another car honking and swerving into a left turn to avoid hitting him._

_“Where are you going?” Jane asked as she ran to him._

_“Fifty miles west of here,” he answered as he strode westerly._

_“Why?”_

_“To get what belongs to me.”_

_“Oh, so you own a satellite now?” she asked rhetorically, Darcy and Erik cautiously moving to follow behind them down the road._

_“It’s not what they say it is,” Thor clarified._

_“Well, whatever it is the government seems to think it’s theirs so... You just intend to go in there and take it?”_

_“Yes,” he answered, coming to a halt and facing her. He stated plainly, “If you take me there now, I’ll tell you everything you wish to know.”_

_“Everything?” she repeated, her notebook grasped tightly in her hands._

_“Yes, all the answers you seek will be yours once I reclaim Mjolnir.”_

_“Myew-myew? What’s myew-myew?” Darcy questioned, attempting to imitate the term he had used._

_Erik gaped at him for a moment before stepping off to the side, beseeching, “Can I have a word, Jane?” Darcy and Jane travelled the short distance to where Erik stood watching Thor with distrust. “Please don’t do this.”_

_“You saw what I saw last night. This is no coincidence – we have to find out what’s in that crater.”_

_“But I’m not talking about the crater,” Erik said, looking back again at Thor, “I’m talking about him.”_

_Jane protested giddily, “But he’s promising us answers-”_

_“He’s delusional. Listen to what he’s saying – he’s talking about Mjolnir and Thor and Bifrost. It’s the stories I grew up with as a child.”_

_“I’m just gonna drive him – that’s it,” she begged._

_“He’s dangerous, Jane,” he asserted._

_She mulled over the decision for a few moments, casting her eyes to Thor before returning them to Erik, then sighed and walked back over to Thor in resignation. “I’m sorry,” she began, “but I can’t take you.”_

_“Then this is where we say goodbye,” Thor announced, reaching forward and grabbing her hand to her wary bewilderment. He looked into her eyes as he pressed his lips to her knuckles; she laughed and grinned at the uncharacteristic send-off._

_“Uh, thank you?” she giggled in confused reply._

_“Jane Foster, Erik Selvig, Darcy,” he addressed, “farewell.” He gave a shallow bow in parting, Darcy and Erik hesitantly attempting a curtsy and bow in return._

_“Alright,” Erik said, shifting awkwardly before turning and leading the two women off, “back to work.” Jane paused and looked back at Thor before walking away._

_Turning the corner and ambling down the sidewalk, they stop at the sound of a honk as a black pick-up truck drives past them. At the sight of the multitude of machinery carefully arranged in the box, Jane runs up to the vehicle uttering a brief ‘hey!’ before it drives off. “That’s my stuff!” The three stand in shock on the road before they turn to run to the building they had been set up in._

_A couple of agents in suits are emptying their trailer into a black SUV in the lot outside as they dash into the building, Jane yelling in affront, “What the hell is going on here?”_

_“Miss Foster, I’m Agent Coulson with SHIELD-” he greeted, before being cut off._

_“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” she countered as Erik’s eyes widened at the name of the group and he rushed to her side. “You can’t do this!”_

_“Jane,” Erik hushed. “Jane, this is a lot more serious than I realized. Let it go,” he pleaded, glancing back at Agent Coulson’s passive smile._

“See! Even Selvig thinks Coulson’s impassive smiling demeanor is creepy!” Tony pointed out.

_“Let it go? This is my life,” Jane objected as she continued on towards the other agents who were confiscating her scientific instruments._

_“We’re investigating a security threat,” Agent Coulson explained to Jane’s incredulity. “We need to appropriate your records and all your atmospheric data.”_

_“By ‘appropriate’ do you mean steal?” she snarled as she tried to move past one of the agents loading a van to her paperwork. She was held away._

_“Here – this should more than compensate you for your trouble,” he offered, offering a cheque._

_Jane ripped it out of his fingers and clenched it in her hand as she argued, “I can’t just buy replacements at RadioShack – I made most of this equipment myself.”_

_“And I’m sure you can do it again.”_

_“And I’m sure I can sue you for violating my constitutional rights!”_

_“I’m sorry Miss Foster, but we’re the good guys,” Agent Coulson defended._

_“So are we! I-I, I’m on the verge of understanding something e-extraordinary – and everything I know about this phenomenon is either in this lab, or in this book,” he cast a sharp look to another agent, “and you can’t just take this away-” The journal she had held in her hand and had been gesturing with was taken from her and piled into the vehicle along with everything else, despite her outraged ‘hey!’ and her lunge to retrieve it._

_“Hey, Jane – easy, easy!” Erik shouted at the agent forcing her away, gently pulling her back from the van himself. Darcy and he comforted her between them as the vehicles were locked up and piled into, Agent Coulson saying,_

_“Thank you for your cooperation,” with a nod of acknowledgement before he joined the other agents in their departure. They stared, breathing heavily in dismay, as the black SUVs and vans pulled away._

“Bullies,” Tony muttered.

“There was a security threat,” Coulson defended. Bruce shrunk in his chair imperceptibly.

_The inside of the building appeared much larger without the clutter of machinery and papers strewn about, the open doors allowing the desert air clear passage through the rooms. Erik, Darcy, and Jane sat dejected on the roof with their feet hanging over the edge, wind tousling their hair and clothing. Jane bemoaned, “Years of research – gone.”_

_“They even took my iPod,” Darcy mumbled._

_“What about the backups?” Erik asked hopefully._

_“They took our backups. They took the backups of our backups. They were extremely thorough,” Jane explained._

_“Just downloaded like thirty songs onto there-”_

_“Could you please stop with your iPod,” Jane bid. “Who are these people?”_

_“I knew this scientist,” Erik began, “a pioneer in gamma radiation. SHIELD showed up and, um... He wasn’t heard from ever again.”_

The Avengers traded glances with each other before warily directing their gazes towards the agents in the room. Director Fury met their stares with his own, and they turned back to the screen.

_“They’re not gonna do that to us,” Jane insisted. “I’m gonna get everything back.”_

_“I’m not- Please,” he said halting any further action. “Let me contact one of my colleagues – he’s had some dealings with these people before. I’ll email him and maybe he can help...”_

_“They took your laptop too,” Darcy said. They all stared out into the vast desert, lamenting the loss of their technology._

Tony tsked, “Her iPod? His laptop? That’s criminal.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and commented, “We all know about your attachment to your tech.”

“Almost all my tech has an A.I. – they’re my babies,” he defended. “Anyway, we’re all technologically dependent in this age. ‘Cept for Cap here, but he’ll catch up.” Steve scrunched up his nose at the prospect.


	7. Segregation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. Now, in knowing Loki, they begin to wonder at the motivation for his most recent actions, and who else was involved in directing the Chitauri army.

_The many metal buildings and structures of Asgard glimmered in the golden light of dusk through the open floor to ceiling window high up in the palace, the doors sliding closed silently to shut off the room from the outside world. The Allfather slept with his prone form covered in a heavy fur blanket as he lay in the center of a golden framed bed, headboard peaking upward at both sides as if in mimicry of horns and the foot curving and narrowing like the prow of a ship. The Queen and Loki sat on either side of the head of the bed watching him in silence, until she quietly admitted to him in reference to his adoption,_

_“I asked him to be honest with you from the beginning. There should be no secrets in a family.”_

_“So why did he lie?”_

_“He kept the truth from you so that you would never feel different.” Loki stared at her with an unwavering, steely gaze, appearing to not accept the excuse. “You are our son, Loki, and we your family – you must know that,” she implored. He averted his eyes from hers and looked down at Odin._

_“You can speak to him,” she prompted. “He can see and hear us even now.”_

_He dismissed her suggestion and asked, “How long will it last?”_

_“I don’t know,” she murmured, “this time it’s different – we were unprepared.”_

_“I never get used to seeing him like this,” Loki confessed. “The most powerful being in the Nine Realms... lying helpless – until his body is restored.”_

Clint narrowed his eyes and slowly started, “Do you think he’s planning something?”

“Seemed like foreshadowing,” Bruce considered.

_“He’s put it off for so long now that I fear-” Frigga cut herself off, allowing her worry to remain unspoken as she reached to hold her husband’s hand. She looked up at him and continued, “You’re a good son. We mustn’t lose hope that your father will return to us – and your brother.”_

_Loki’s head tilted minutely in confusion as he queried sceptically, “What hope is there for Thor?”_

_“There’s always a purpose to everything your father does,” she explained patiently. “Thor may yet find a way home.”_

_Loki cast his eyes down in contemplation of the event affirmed through her faith and then stood. He lingered by the Allfather’s bedside for a moment before turning to stride out of the room, past a perch upon which a crow was settled. Circling the foot of the bed, Loki’s gaze sharpened and flew to the tall double doors of the room in alarm as they rattled. They were pulled open to reveal a row of half a dozen of Odin’s, fully armoured, elite guards, who immediately upon seeing him shouted and pounded their fists against their chests as they fell to one knee. Loki’s eyes shifted back and forth to take in the scene, his expression stunned. A man walked in front of the soldiers to the doorway, robed in gold, and turned to face him, Gungnir held carefully in his arms._

“Is what I’m thinking really happening?” Tony asked. “‘Cause I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

_The man ambled forward as Frigga looked on, coming to kneel before him. Loki stared down at the offered spear for a few seconds before meeting the man’s eyes with brows furrowed in question. He turned to face his mother in mystification at the situation, and she enlightened him,_

_“Thor is banished. The line of succession falls to you, until Odin awakens. Asgard is yours.” She sat determined and proud, waiting for him to seize his right. Loki’s jaw had slackened slightly in amazement at the oppourtunity, turning once again to fully take in the heft of Gungnir and the title assigned to it. It was held up to him once more as he regarded it with his chin raised, reverently lifting it with his hands to the echoing caws of the crow._

_The man bowed and stepped back under Loki’s stare as Frigga nodded and encouraged, “Make your father proud.” He pivoted to face her, Gungnir grasped in his hands and a smirk pulling at his lips as she finished, “My king,” to the continued caws._

“Ominous,” Tony commented.

“You think so? A crow cawing as he’s named king?” Fury retorted rhetorically.

_The clacking of a keyboard was amplified by the silence of the space, Erik typing in front of a monitor atop a desk surrounded by bookcases and shelved trolleys jammed with an assortment of reading material. A woman lingered by the shelving nearby as he finished, sliding his chair backward as he clicked the mouse so to close the supposed window that he had been composing an email in._

_He stood and began to leave the small library, but turned back and idly pulled out a small hardcover, ‘The Giant Slayer,’ from the top of a cart full of novels yet to be sorted. Paging through it, he once again paused and reached down to lift a larger book into his hands, ‘Myths and Legends from Around the World,’ as he placed the other back. With a smile he flipped through the mass by Anneka Sunden, coming to a stop at a page titled ‘Bifrost’ and skimming the material he had grown up with._

_**Bifrost** _  
_The Rainbow Bridge to Asgard_

_The Rainbow Bridge connected Asgard to the other lower realms of Yggdrasil below the clouds. The bridge was a protected gateway that prevented intruders such as Jötunns or Trolls from entering into Asgard because the red of the bridge was glowing fire that would burn their feet. The bridge's protection allowed the Gods time for other matters instead of constantly defending Asgard. Odin appointed Heimdall as watchman of the bridge because he would be able to warn all if an enemy tried to sneak into Asgard._  


_He chuckled and turned to another pair of pages:_

_**Thursday: Thor’s Day** _

_Thursday was named after the Norse God of Thunder. Thor corresponded to Jupiter, and thus, his name was given to the Roman "Dies Jovis," the day of Jupiter. When other tribes replaced the name Jupiter with Thor, Thorsdaeg – or in English, Thursday – became the name of the 5th day of the week. Thor was also identified with Donar, the thunder god of Teutonic mythology. His name survives in the English weekday name Thursday, Donnerstag in German, Donderdag in Dutch._  


_He closed the book with a derisive scoff and sigh._

“You know, you’re probably lucky that you weren’t confined to an institution or something, Big Guy,” Tony said, smirking towards Thor. Pepper lightly slapped the arm closest to her.

_Jane sat with her truck idling, eyes searching the people meandering the sidewalks before she furrowed her brow and leaned forward at the sight of Thor striding up to the Pet Palace across the street. He entered to the yips of puppies and squawks of birds, demanding, “I need a horse.”_

Tony and Clint laughed uproariously at the concept of a horse being sold alongside dogs, and then at the thought of him riding one through a modern town.

Pepper hit him again. “It was a perfectly valid request.”

Tony snorted, “Not in today’s world, it isn’t. Hey,” his head whipped around to Thor, “you don’t know how to drive, do you? I’ll teach you.”

Thor’s face brightened at the suggestion. “You would instruct me on how to command the metal contraptions for use of transport? I would be honoured!”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Agent Hill said.

“I’d pay to see Thor learning how to drive,” Clint contributed.

Natasha just raised an eyebrow and reminded Tony, “It’d be your cars he’d be driving.”

“And all property and vehicular damage would be billed to you,” Agent Coulson added.

Tony internally winced at the thought, but a glance at Thor’s excited face had him grinning and declaring, “Teach Thor how to be a responsible driver with minimal harm to civilians and property? Challenge accepted.”

_The cashier looked up at him with his eyebrows drawn beneath his curled afro, and seeing that he appeared serious answered slowly, “We don’t have horses – just dogs, cats, birds-”_

_“Then give me one of those large enough to ride,” Thor corrected._

Clint stifled a chortle and shared a smirk with Tony.

_Jane honked as she pulled the truck up outside the store, pushing back the window so to ask him, “Hey, you still need a lift?” Thor turned at her voice and walked to her, ‘Kyle’ staring after him in puzzlement._

_The two were driving out in the desert, engine thrumming in the stillness of the environment as Jane confessed, “I’ve never done anything like this before.” Thor turned to face her in acknowledgement of her phrase before facing forwards again with a smile, Jane flicking her gaze to him a couple of times before she asked, “Have you ever done anything like this before?”_

_He nodded and answered, “Many times.” He looked to her again and assured, “But you’re brave to do it.”_

_“Well they just stole my entire life’s work – don’t really have much left to lose.”_

_“Ah, but you’re clever-”_

_“-hm, thanks-”_

_“-far more clever than anyone else in this realm.”_

_“Realm? Realm?” she repeated, shaking her head at the archaic term._

_“You think me strange,” Thor stated, bemused._

_“Yeah I do,” she admitted with a grin._

_“Good strange, or bad strange?”_

_“I’m not quite sure yet,” she divulged teasingly, facing him for a few seconds too long and causing the truck to skid along the rough dirt on the left side of the road. She swerved back onto the road as they both laughed, her managing an apology amidst her chuckles._

_There were a few moments of silence as they darted glances at each other, before Jane composed herself and asked earnestly, “But who are you-” Thor’s lips parted slightly, but then closed again without answering. She finished, “-really?”_

_He gathered a smile and said, “You’ll see soon enough.”_

_“You promised me answers,” she reminded._

_He stared at her before disclosing, “What you seek – it’s a bridge.”_

_“Like-like an Einstein-Rosen Bridge?”_

_“More like a Rainbow Bridge.”_

_She gaped and shook her head, returning her concentration to driving as she muttered, “God I hope you’re not crazy.”_

“She seems very strong – helping you while doubting your mental stability,” Steve commented. Thor grinned with pride while Pepper glanced at Tony, who sent her an appreciative smile before entwining their fingers under the table in commiseration with the parallel. 

_The colours of the Rainbow Bridge shone underneath the twilight skies with the towering palace reaching for the stars, as inside the Warriors’ Three and Sif climbed a few rows of steps. Their heads were bowed and their right hands fisted over their breasts in deference, Sif stating, “Allfather, we must speak with you urgently.” They all paused and stood still in shock at the sight of the figure seated._

_Loki was lounging in the intricate golden throne, armour and horned helmet donned and Gungnir held erect in his left hand, a guard at the base of either side of the dais. The four lowered their arms and took in his position with various degrees of confusion as he addressed, “My friends.”_

_“Where’s Odin?” Fandral asked, their postures slackening as they approached._

_“Father has fallen into the Odinsleep,” he explained with downcast eyes that shifted from side to side. He confessed, “Mother fears he may never awaken again.”_

_“We would speak with her?” Sif queried._

_“She has refused to leave my father’s bedside.” The four halted in a line in front of him. “You can bring your urgent matter to me,” he instructed, laying a hand over his chest. His expression became steely with resolve as he leisurely stood, green cape hanging from his shoulders, lightly rapping the end of Gungnir against the floor as he finished with his new title to them: “Your king.”_

_There was a light gasp from one of them; all of their faces displayed shock and surprise; Fandral looked to the others, overwhelmed. Despite their thoughts on the matter, they raised and held their fists over their hearts again in fealty as they each fell to one knee to gaze up at him. “My king,” Sif began, “we would ask that you end Thor’s banishment.”_

_Loki tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes, letting escape a patronizing huff as he started to descend the steps from the throne. He rationalized, “My first command cannot be to undo the Allfather’s last,” as he walked. “We’re on the brink of war with Jötunheim – our people need a sense of continuity in order to feel safe in these difficult times.” Hogan cast an assessing look over to Volstagg as Sif began to glare towards Loki from his other side as he continued, “All of us must stand together. For the good of Asgard.”_

“I see why he’s called Silvertongue,” Bruce acknowledged.

_He looked down at them, the horns of his helmet thrust forward aggressively, as he stood. Sif surged to her feet to move against him, but Fandral and Hogan reached forward to each grab an arm to prevent any further action. “Yes, of course,” Fandral acquiesced with a smile, but his eyes were pinched at the corners._

_“Good, then you will wait for my word.”_

_“If I may,” Volstagg started, Loki’s fierce stare diverted to him, “uh, beg the indulgence of your Majesty, t-to perhaps reconsider-”_

_“We’re done,” he said defiantly. The Warriors’ Three and Sif stared at him in disbelief for a moment before getting to their feet and lowering their arms. They turned and filed out one by one, Sif left watching him intently. Loki angled his torso forward slightly as if to stifle the challenge in her eyes and her lips twitched at one corner in a small smirk before she turned and exited the hall as well._

“Are they planning on... defying him?” Steve asked. “I mean, he’s king now – can they do that?”

“They’re going to try something,” Bruce predicted.

_The truck’s rear lights glowed red in the dark of night while its headlights illuminated the well-worn dirt ahead, the vehicle cresting a hill to observe SHIELD’s work within the crater. At the center was a cubic structure that had covered tunnels winding away to buildings on either side. Trucks patrolled the area well-lit with six tall, monolithic spotlights, the entire square surrounded by monitored fences. Parked outside the fencing were a dozen trucks and campers neatly concentrated in one space for the numerous agents assigned to the task._

Tony whistled in admiration of the site while Bruce muttered, “Impressive.”

_There were agents securing the higher floors of the central structure while a few scientists circled Mjolnir with cameras and energy-reading instruments._

_“That’s no satellite crash,” Jane observed, astounded. “They would’ve hauled the wreckage away – they wouldn’t build a city around it.” She was lying on her stomach peering through a pair of binoculars at the formation as Thor crouched beside her._

_“You’re going to need this,” he stated while tugging off his coat, eyes never wavering from their target._

_“What?” she asked, turning to look up at him as he meticulously arranged the article of clothing over her shoulders. “Wait, why?” A faint rumble of thunder was heard and they cast their eyes skyward for a second, Thor laughing lightly._

_“Stay here,” he commanded. “Once I have Mjolnir I will return the items they’ve stolen from you. Deal?”_

_She stared at him before stating, “No. Look what’s down there-” She pointed to the site before whipping back around to face him. “You think you’re just going to walk in, grab our stuff, and walk out?”_

_“No, I’m going to fly out,” he explained, starting over the crest of the hill while staying crouched low to the ground. Jane gaped at his back as lightning streaked across the dark clouds above, thunder crashing._

_One of the monitors displaying vivid screen shots of Mjolnir through various lenses began to glitch, an agent’s cell phone beginning to malfunction as well as he tapped the touch screen in annoyance._

_“Sir, feed from the keyhole can barely penetrate the cloud cover,” an agent informed, adjusting the settings on the analyzing beams. “Tech’s barely working as it is with all the interference that thing’s giving off.” An older agent approached to survey the screen as the image was replaced with one displaying two dozen plane symbols, one coloured in red and evidently flying towards their ‘event zone’. He reported, “And we’ve got a commercial aircraft coming right over: Southwest Airlines, flight 5434.”_

_“Reroute it like all the others,” he ordered._

_“Hold a sec,” the agent started, his attention caught by the happenings on another screen, “we’ve got something outside the fence.” He held his finger up the screen where a dark, semicircular shape was highlighted. “West side.”_

_“Delancey, Jackson – west side perimeter. Go check it out,” his voice conveyed through a radio, a cart patrolling outside detouring off the tracks to the designated area._

_“There it is.” One of the agents shone a flashlight along the bottom of the fencing and the artificial light exhibited clearly where the metal had been bent upwards for an individual to crawl through. As they parked Thor appeared from the opposite side of the small vehicle and punched the driver, knocking him out. Jane watched through her binoculars, stunned, as he instantly grabbed the man’s M4 so to jab the other in the head and dismiss him as well._

_Inside, the directing agent held his communications radio to his mouth and commanded, “Delancey, Jackson – report.”_

_Thor donned a black plastic poncho to partially disguise himself and, with his hood up shadowing his features, jogged over the road to saunter past a truck on the other side._

_An armed agent making his rounds stumbled upon the unconscious agents, immediately publicizing, “Agent down – we’ve got a perimeter breach.” A rasping, wailing alarm sounded throughout the compound, all the agents hurrying to identify and neutralize the security threat._

_Jane gasped at the response and shimmied further from the lip of the hill so to hopefully escape notice._

_Thor ducked behind the fortified truck as agents rushed past, plastering himself to the side._

_Jane had curled up on her side and had her cell held to her ear, Erik’s voice heard announcing, “You’ve reached Dr. Erik Selvig. Please leave me a message,” before the tone._

_“Hi, Erik, it’s me,” she hastened. “Don’t worry, I’m fine – but, um, just in case you don’t hear from me in the next hour, just come by the crater site; try and find me, okay? I did exactly what you told me not to – I’m sorry. So sorry, bye,” she finished, flipping her phone shut._

“I hope you didn’t get her in trouble,” Steve said with a disapproving frown. Then he cast a stern glance toward the SHIELD agents and asked, “You didn’t arrest her, did you? She’s a civilian.”

“She was trespassing on government property with the intention of stealing several objects,” Fury argued.

Tony snorted and protested, “Objects you stole. It’s not like you can make much of her work – should’ve just hired her.”

“She’s consulting now,” Agent Hill informed.

“Despite you grabbing her here?” Bruce questioned in disbelief, gesturing to the scene shown.

“We had no idea she was in the area,” Coulson clarified to the smirks of Clint and Natasha.

_Thor had sought cover underneath one of the trailers as all the agents in the surrounding area armed themselves and filed into the compound. Lightning and thunder crashed ahead again, Mjolnir reverberating. He looked skyward and the flashes illuminated his grin, urging him to rush out from his cover and into the covered tunnels._

_Jane looked on from beneath the jacket he had given her._

_Turning right, he was slowed by an agent who he reflexively grabbed about the wrist in defense and then bent to gather him about the thighs to toss him over his shoulder. Another agent attacked him from behind and he was entangled in his arms as well as his own poncho before freeing himself from both and facing him so to engage him. He deftly blocked the knee strike before jumping slightly so to grasp the agent around the neck and shoulders and spin him around, grabbing the back of his jacket and throwing him headlong into the downed agent that had stood. They both toppled to the ground._

_His torso heaved within his blue tee as he ran through the tunnel, jerking towards a stair leading to the lower level before passing it, agents surging at him._

_“I need eyes up high – with a gun,” Agent Coulson radioed, the rain having drenched his suit and hair._

_M4s, M16s, and a variety of handguns were splayed along a wall on the inside of one of the armoury trucks, gloved hands reaching to grip a sniper rifle from the selection presented on the table below. They paused before swiftly darting upwards to grasp a collapsed bow attached to a rotating quiver full of trick arrows._

“Hey!” Tony exclaimed, pointing at the screen while turning to call to Clint, “That’s you!”

He smirked and replied with a roll of his eyes, “I know.”

Thor frowned minutely and tilted his head, saying, “I did not know you were there, Clinton.”

“Ah well, we didn’t really get a chance to chat.”

_His laced boots kicked out of the back of the vehicle and he hopped down to the ground with a splash, sprinting through the mud to a square, railed scaffold that he lobbed his bow and quiver into before climbing in himself._

_Thor came to another ladder and kicked the closest agent in the chest, flinging him backward into his fellow agents who were unable to sufficiently brace his weight and fell. Leaping onto the grating of the tunnel, he swung his leg around in a roundhouse and kicked a rising man in the head. At the end of the passage another agent rushed forward with an M16 yelling, ‘Got him!’, and so he turned and darted through another channel._

_He was met by another two agents, the first of whom threw a punch that was avoided as he retaliated with the same, gaining a free moment so to grab the other and throw him to the ground. He then grabbed the metal holding up the above floor and lifted himself to use both legs to kick a rising man out over the ledge, his form tearing through the plastic covering. Thor continued to wind through the tunnels, trying to avoid most of the agents._

_The lift outside was pulled upwards, Agent Barton readying his bow._

_“So what’ve we got?” Coulson demanded, striding into the sector teeming with computers and instruments fixed on the area of Mjolnir._

_“There’s a massive electromagnetic surge coming off that thing. Systems are barely coping.”_

_“Barton, talk to me,” Coulson radioed as he stepped away, staring upward at his position._

_“You want me to slow ‘im down, sir?” he queried leisurely, knocking an arrow and aiming at Thor’s running figure. “Or are you sendin’ in more guys for him to beat up?”_

_“I’ll let you know,” he responded as he walked._

They chuckled at the interaction of the two.

_Thor had reached the central cubic structure, and standing on the second level he stared down in admiration of Mjolnir as he approached her. Suddenly a thick arm was held out to clothes-line him violently. He gazed up at the tall, thickset, dark-skinned agent who blocked his path and commented cockily, “You’re big – fought bigger,” as he got to his feet._

_He swung wildly and cracked his nose, mouth gaping as the agent did not give any ground and instead took the oppourtunity to punch back. Thor instinctively curled his torso forwards as he drove his fist into his gut, then punched his cheek. The agent tackled him through the plastic tarps and onto the wet dirt outside, Thor rolling them over as Barton continued to target him from above._

_They rolled over several times in the mud until the agent had Thor in a headlock. He choked in air as the fingers of one hand clawed at the arm before he wound his arm forward and drove his elbow into the chest behind him. The man released him with a grunt, rolling onto his back as Thor pounded him twice more with his elbow. He straddled him and moved to strike again, but was flipped up and over his head to land on his side on the ground above._

_The two men quickly stood on unsteady feet, and as the agent rushed him Thor propelled himself upwards to launch his feet into his chest. They were hurled in opposite directions, Thor recovering first and stepping forward to swing his leg around to kick him in the head and knock him out. He pulled his right arm across his mouth to wipe some mud from his lips before his eyes fell to the central structure again, taking in the shadow cast by Mjolnir upon the clear tarps._

_Whipping his hair from his face with a toss of his head, he strode forward still breathing heavily from the brawl._

_“You better call it, Coulson,” Barton inserted, “‘cause I’m starting to root for this guy.”_

_Thor ripped the plastic covering from where it was secured along the metal framing, revealing Mjolnir situated atop a column of stone a few feet high. He circled her beneath the fluorescent lighting with a smile and chuckle before stopping to stand before her._

_Agent Coulson moved to look down at the scene from an upper level, Barton preparing to shoot and calling,_

_“Last chance, sir.”_

_“Wait,” Coulson said, “I want to see this.”_

_With a relieved exhale Thor reached forward to wrap his fingers around her leather grip, attempting to lift her free. With a furrowed brow and confused frustration expressed he yanked at her again, then lowered his center of gravity and took hold of her with both of his hands before heaving. His muscles strained in exertion as he yelled with his teeth bared, continually attempting to wrench her free._

_He reluctantly released her handle and stepped back, panting, looking at the palms of his hands before casting his gaze towards the heavens. His eyes narrowed against the rain as his face crumpled in distress, letting escape a long wordless, helpless cry of despair at being kept from Mjolnir._

_Jane’s lips had parted and her eyes had turned glassy at the sight from beneath her makeshift shelter; Coulson swallowed at the emotion of the scene. Thor fell to his knees beside her, still affixed to the stone, and hung his head; his form fell limp, his mind not bothering to apportion the effort to hold his posture._

_“Alright, show’s over,” Coulson radioed. “Ground units move in.”_

_Agent Barton slackened his hold and lowered his bow and arrow, watching from a distance. An agent walked to Thor’s position on the wet ground and secured his arms behind his back; he did not offer a token of resistance. His triquetric rune appeared engraved on the side of Mjolnir’s head before vanishing again, causing him to heave a sigh at the sight as his eyes welled with tears. Another couple agents came to stand on either side of him, pulling him to his feet and leading him away._

_The structure shone reflected in the pupil of Heimdall’s eye as he looked upon the scene from afar through his amber irises, golden helmet reaching upwards from his head into the scarlet and azure cloud forms high up in the starry sky._


	8. Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. As events progress, they begin to question his, as well as SHIELD's, lack of moral reasoning.

_“He committed a crime – he’s in jail!” Erik declared, his voice sounding over the darkened streets lit only by high streetlamps._

_“I can’t just leave him there!” Jane shouted in argument. She stood facing him as he and Darcy sat at one of the cleared tables in their dim apartment, still bereft of their original equipment. A ring of light bulbs hung from the ceiling so to free the immediate vicinity of shadows, their quarreling forms displayed clearly._

_“Why?” Erik questioned breathlessly._

_“You didn’t see what I saw,” she protested, gesturing to herself._

_“Look,” Darcy interrupted, “look – it’s Mjolnir.”_

_Jane’s attention was called to her as she beckoned, and so she stepped around to stand beside her chair and lean over her shoulder to stare at the page indicated in the thick book._

_**Mjolnir** _

_Mjolnir, or ‘that which smashes’, is the hammer carried by Thor, the God of Thunder. Odin, King of the Norse gods, ordered the dwarves to create Mjolnir. The blacksmiths used the core of a star as a mold. In the process the star exploded and almost took the Earth with it. Although powerful, the hammer also holds several magic spells from Odin, who killed a Frost Giant with it. Much later, Mjolnir was bestowed to Thor, after proving himself worthy through many challenges. The history of Mjolnir is the history of Thor._  


_She shook her head in bewilderment as she asked, “Where’d you find this?” as she flipped the page._

_**Loki** _

_Loki was a shape shifter that could turn into anything he wished. He was far more spiteful, cunning, and deceitful than the other Gods in Asgard, which often led him into trouble. Trouble would be created because he loved playing mean jokes on others. Eventually he was seen for what he was and was distrusted, but his quick wit and honeyed tongue inevitably caused the Æsir to forgive him which left room for his role in engineering the death of the God Baldur._  


“Simplistic summarization,” Bruce commented.

“Who’s Baldur?” Clint rose towards Thor.

“He is my fair brother – wise and respected amongst the Æsir,” Thor described. 

“‘Is?’ So he isn’t dead?” Agent Hill quizzed with a raised eyebrow.

Thor frowned. “He is not.”

Tony cleared his throat and stood from his chair, hesitantly walking to the wall upon which the scene was projected and pointing without preamble to the final line of the paragraph on Loki. “‘…which left room for his role in engineering the death of the God Baldur.’”

The edges of Thor’s mouth were pulled down further as he tilted his head at the intricacy of the absorption of this material, before finally proposing slowly, “Perhaps it’s a prophecy?”

Tony raised an eyebrow at the suggestion as he retook his seat, caustically asking, “You have Seers that know the future where you’re from?”

“Well, yes,” Thor affirmed dismissively, “but he did not mention that Loki would be the one to arrange his death. These things aren’t usually clear, of course – he did not have knowledge of how he would die either, else Mother and Father would have a certain object or person so to protect him from.”

“Hold up – what exactly are you blathering about,” Clint inserted.

“My apologies, my friends,” Thor began, “I shall explain my brother Baldur’s situation.

“He and my mother, Frigga, had been tormented by dreams of his death. This would invariably lead to the devastating events of Ragnarök, the foretold mighty battle and ravaging natural disasters that would result in the death of the majority of the most powerful Æsir. My mother sought oaths from every material and object in the nine realms to never hurt him, largely succeeding, while my father cast spells upon him so to make him invulnerable – thereby moving to prevent the fate assigned to the gods.”

“What do you mean by her ‘largely succeeding’?” Bruce asked immediately.

“A measly plant upon Midgard was very young at the time,” Thor shrugged, “as well as unimportant and nonthreatening – so my mother didn’t request a vow from it.”

“What was it?” Coulson asked.

“Mistletoe, I believe.”

Tony scoffed, “Yeah, you can’t kill anyone with that.”

His teammates nodded in agreement with the exception of Natasha, who narrowed her eyes in thought. Unless it’s wielded by the God of Mischief.

“So, wait, you have a prophecy about the end of the world?” Steve asked.

“Sounded like the end of Asgard to me,” Tony remarked.

“It would culminate in the destruction of Midgard as well,” Thor clarified, “but do not worry – it is told that two humans will survive so to repopulate the earth.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Sounds a lot like Adam and Eve to me.”

“Who are these friends of yours whose lives parallel the aftermath of Ragnarök?”

“No one, Big Guy,” Tony smirked before posing, “Seriously though, do you guys often hear about the future in such a morbid fashion? Baldur’s death, the end of the world…”

Thor nodded sagely as he answered, “Oh yes. For example, the Allfather’s demise was foretold as well, his fate to be consumed by Loki’s monstrous son Fenrir during Ragnarök.”

“Should you really be calling your nephew ‘monstrous’?” Steve said with a disapproving stare.

“I do not mean so in an offensive way, Steven! My nephew Fenrir is a large wolf,” Thor elucidated. “Calling him a monster is in praise of his strength and ferocity.”

“…I’ll just ignore the connotations of your adjectives for now and focus on the fact that I think you just said that Loki has a son who’s a wolf?!” Tony interrogated wildly.

“Yes, by the giantess Angrboda.”

Tony merely shook his head and slumped in his seat, kicking slightly to roll the chair closer to Pepper and seeking normality in her presence. Pepper smirked at the behaviour and questioned curiously, “What happened to Fenrir, if he was expected to kill Odin?”

“Ah, he was restrained through the chain Gleipnir, forged by the dwarves, and shall be detained until it breaks at Ragnarök.”

Clint raised his eyebrows and said, “If the thing’s just going to break when he was ‘foretold’ to kill the guy anyways, what’s the point?”

“He might not’ve had a reason to kill Odin if you hadn’t chained him up,” Tony pointed out.

Thor muttered in weak justification, “It was to prevent any attempts at the deed before the time said.”

“Mhm,” Tony hummed condescendingly. “You all seriously need to read up on the definition of ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’.”

_“The children’s section,” Erik explained. “I-I just wanted to show you how silly his story was.”_

_“But you’re the one who’s always pushing me to chase down every possibility, every alternative,” Jane insisted, pounding the palm of her hand against the flat tabletop._

_“I’m talking about science, not magic-”_

_“But magic’s just science that we don’t understand yet – Arthur C. Clark,” she asserted._

_“-who wrote science fiction-”_

_“-a precursor to science fact!”_

_“In some cases, yeah,” Erik conceded, leaning back in his chair._

_“Well if there is an Einstein-Rosen bridge, then there’s something on the other side – and advanced beings could’ve crossed it!” Jane insisted, her voice rising in pitch as she stressed her point._

_“Oh Jane,” he murmured in saddened alarm._

_“A primitive culture like the Vikings might have worshipped them as deities,” Darcy pointed out logically._

_“Yes! Yes, exactly,” Jane trumpeted towards Erik before facing and thanking her for the support. Darcy simply hummed in acknowledgement. Jane tilted her head in silent question and she merely smirked in non-answer before they both turned back to Erik. He let out a distressed sigh at the weight of their votes._

“Majority rules,” Clint muttered in observation. 

_Agents busied themselves back and forth in the confines of the dim building, countless pieces of equipment and screens arranged so to be constantly monitored. In a small, square room lit with artificial light that reflected off the pristine white walls blindingly, Thor sat in an unadorned, plain chair facing Agent Coulson._

_“You made my men, some of the most highly trained professionals in the world, look like a bunch of minimum-wage mall cops,” he stated. The mutterings of the SHIELD agents going about their business beyond the walls was unheard as well as unseen, the glass that made up the walls only mirroring their reflections back to them in the lighting. “That’s hurtful._

_“In my experience, it takes someone who’s received similar training to do what you did tonight.” Thor did not reply to any of Agent Coulson’s implications, his gaze staring into a middle distance as his thoughts were preoccupied with his interaction with Mjolnir. “Why don’t you tell me where you received your training?” he suggested directly. When Thor merely averted his eyes and remained silent, he began to guess, “Pakistan, Chechnya, Afghanistan? No, you strike me more as the ‘soldier of fortune’ type... Where was it? South Africa? Certain groups would pay very well for a good mercenary like you._

_“Who are you?” Agent Coulson intoned severely. Thor remained silent, though slowly lifted his eyes to meet his in challenge. “One way or another we find out what we need to know – we’re good at that,” he promised._

Steve narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat to torture him?” he asked solemnly, turning slowly to face the agents in the room.

Director Fury met his glare in intensity with his one eye, answering, “He broke into a secure facility, had no legal records whatsoever, and wouldn’t give a single reason as to the incident.”

“That’s illegal,” he grit out.

Tony snorted. “You think our government’s lenient with those they deem terrorists? They’ve worded their laws just so that way they can interrogate perceived threats.”

Steve gnashed his teeth at the news, thinking, _I need to read over all the laws that were created since I went under. I can’t argue against them without knowing the details._

 _Heads are gonna roll,_ Tony thought, smirking proudly at the furious expression on Steve’s face that he caught in his peripheral. 

_A beeping alert drew Coulson’s attention to the petit pager in his pocket, causing him to pull it out slightly so to check the number. He replaced it and exited the room, drolly ordering, “Don’t go anywhere.”_

_A section of the wall – glass, mirror – slid sideways so to permit him leave, shutting soundlessly behind him. The pane that should have reflected the empty space that the agent had vacated showed another instead, Loki having immediately appeared standing before Thor._

“What?” Fury sneered, narrowing his eyes at the image. Coulson had his phone instantly to his ear and was requesting the video footage from the past event. 

“So he just popped in and out of a SHEILD base and no one was the wiser?” Clint remarked, a minute twitch in his index fingers hidden beneath the surface of the table. For Loki had been there, when he was. 

“We were aware that he could teleport,” Bruce said with a dismissive shrug.

“Yes, but he can evidently make himself invisible,” Coulson interrupted. “There is so trace of his image in our records – he must have just been watching Thor for the few seconds I was out of the room. I’ve told them to try some different lenses, just in case.”

Thor, meanwhile, had furrowed his brow. “Son of Coul, why do you say that he was watching me? He was not – we conversed.”

Agent Coulson stared at him before replying slowly, “The footage shows you sitting in that chair in silence until I enter again.”

They all turned to the image displayed,

_He was dressed in a modern ensemble, a deep green formal coat donned over a pressed suit. Thor sat up in surprise, gasping, “Loki, what are you doing here?”_

“Well, there you have it,” Tony said.

Agent Hill stiffly crossed her arms over her chest, proposing, “So he can – what? – hide from cameras but show himself to people?”

“It could be many things,” Thor began. “He may be solely cloaking himself from your mechanical eyes, or simply only allowing himself to be seen by me. Or perhaps my brother wasn’t even present – he may have been projecting an illusion to me that I was able to interact with.”

“So what am I adding to the list? Invisibility, illusions, astral projection?” Tony questioned, pulling up the list they had composed earlier on his touch-screen . “Nevermind, might as well list ‘em all,” he mumbled. Pepper rolled towards him and leaned over the arm of her chair to read the list, Coulson hovering over his shoulder as well.

  * Extent of teleportation abilities 
  * Invisibility, illusions, astral projection 
  * Shape shifting (Jötunn appearance, birth of HORSE/WOLF) 
  * Jötunn ice-magic 
  * Magical limitations in terms of escaping his cage 
  * Workings of Bifrost 
  * Motivation for attacking Earth 
  * Control of the Chitauri 
  * Chitauri’s end goal for world takeover 



Coulson nodded in approval.

_“I had to see you,” Loki answered._

_Thor gaped at him before breathing, “What’s happened?” He leaned forward, entreating, “Tell me – is it Jötunheim? Let me explain to Father-”_

_“Father is dead.”_

“Wait, what?” Bruce furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Isn’t he being all Sleeping Beauty right now?” Tony wondered.

“He’s obviously lying,” Natasha clarified.

“Remind me to never play poker with either of you,” he muttered.

_Thor’s breathing turned irregular as his eyebrows drew together, stuttering out a ‘what?’ in disbelief._

_Loki gazed at him with pity, explaining cautiously, “Your banishment, the threat of a new war, i-it...” He swallowed. “It was too much for him to bear.”_

_Thor cast his eyes down in grief, Loki insisting, “You mustn’t blame yourself. I know that you loved him-” A tear collected at the corner of one of his blue eyes, falling as his brother continued, “I tried to tell him so but he wouldn’t listen.”_

_He shook his head and sighed, “It was so cruel to put the hammer within your reach knowing that you could never lift it.” Thor’s sorrowful expression turned to confusion at the remark, his mouth closing in thought as his eyes shifted slightly from side to side._

“What triggered that? What did you realize?” Pepper asked, turning to face Thor.

“When I had tried to lift Mjolnir, she still recognized me as her chosen,” Thor detailed. “If the Allfather had thrown her immediately after he banished me simply to spite me, then as a powerless mortal she wouldn’t have spared me any acknowledgement.

“By glimpsing my insignia as it briefly alighted upon her face, I realized that there was a way for me to regain her approval – if only I could find it.

“This is why his sentence made no sense to me, especially since he was present when I was banished and would’ve seen the Allfather’s actions. And even if he hadn’t, I suppose I assumed that by speaking of her, knowing of Mjolnir’s place on Midgard, he would’ve examined her and seen what magicks were upon her. And I have never found him to be wrong in figuring out the workings of magic.

“It wasn’t much, but it was a bit of inconsistency that distracted me from my father’s supposed death.”

_“The burden of the throne has fallen to me now,” Loki announced._

_Thor’s eyes lightened despite another tear falling from them as he raised his gaze, breathing the question, “Can I come home?”_

_He appeared regretful as he replied, “The truce with Jötunheim is conditional upon your exile.”_

_“Y-Yes, but c-couldn’t we find a way-” he pleaded, shaking his head at the denial._

_“Mother has forbidden your return,” Loki firmly defended._

His teammates sent him sympathetic looks as Loki impressed upon the onscreen Thor his exclusion from Asgard.

“He’s probably trying to... expose you to a part of what he’s feeling – being separated from what he knew as his home and family,” Pepper justified. Thor nodded and smiled at the perspective, Tony finding her hand and holding it.

_“This is goodbye, brother,” Loki finished as Thor stared blankly in astonishment, “I’m so sorry.”_

_“No,” Thor stated as he shook his head, “I am sorry.” He swallowed and attempted to compose himself, stammering sincerely, “T-Thank you for coming here.”_

_Loki nodded weakly. “Farewell.”_

_They stared at each other in silence for a few moments more before Thor cast his eyes downward as Loki turned, his eyes becoming determined as he stepped away just as the panel adjacent slid open. Agent Coulson walked in while finishing some business on his cell phone just as Thor mustered the heart to murmur a ‘goodbye’ to his brother._

_“Goodbye?” Coulson queried with his hands in his pockets. “I just got back.”_

_Outside the small room agents patrolled the area around Mjolnir while scientists continued to analyze her, one circling around with a piece of energy reading equipment. Loki appeared standing astride her amidst the SHIELD personnel, evidently unseen to their eyes, and reached out a hand to grasp her leather wrapped handle. He idly yanked several times trying to pull her free before firmly gripping her with both hands and baring his teeth as he made the attempt again._

_With a sigh he relented and stepped back, shaking his head. He cast his eyes upward in the vague direction of where the Allfather slept upon Asgard before nonchalantly pulling his coat closed and disappearing._

“Serves him right,” Tony muttered.

“He heard Odin’s proclamation – that only if someone was worthy would they be able to lift her – so he really shouldn’t expect to be able to right after he told those lies to Thor,” Bruce commented.

_“Sir,” an agent said as he entered the room and addressed Coulson, quirking a brow and glancing in bemusement towards Thor’s seated form, “he’s got a visitor.”_

_Under the dark night sky SHIELD agents worked to repair the tunnels damaged by Thor’s warfare as Agent Coulson faced Erik Selvig, retorting in scepticism, “His name is Donald Blake?”_

_“Doctor Donald Blake,” Erik corrected with a hesitant nod and brief, fearful smile._

_“You have dangerous coworkers, Dr. Selvig.”_

_“He was distraught when he found out that you’d taken all of our research,” Erik explained, Coulson tilting his head in absorption of the tale. “It was years of his life – gone!  
“You can understand how a man can go off like that,” he started, looking around at all the employees, “big, faceless organization like yours coming in with their jackbooted thugs and-” Coulson’s stark attention caused him to abruptly end his sentence, defending, “That’s how he put it.”_

_“That still doesn’t explain how he managed to tear through our security.”_

_“Steroids!” Erik exclaimed._

Tony and Clint chortled.

_“He’s a bit of a fitness nut.”_

_“Sir,” an agent called lightly, having been alerted to a piece of information on the monitor he was working at. The screen showed a Class D New York State driver’s license with Thor’s picture and Blake, Dr. Donald, J. listed as his name. There was also a red warning stripe declaring a security alert, ‘Falsified Data,’ over the blown up image of the card._

“When was that picture taken?” Steve asked.

“They must’ve used the one Darcy took while they were eating breakfast,” Bruce mused.

_“It says here that he’s an M.D,” Coulson stated, turning back to face Erik._

_“Well he is, o-or he was,” he stumbled in reply. “H-He, uh, switched careers and became a physicist. A-A brilliant physicist! He’s a wonderful man; he’s a man in pain,” he pleaded._

“Do they seriously expect SHIELD to fall for something like that?” Natasha sneered.

_“Ooh Donny, Donny, Donny,” Erik called as he entered the white room where Thor had previously been sitting holding his head in his hands. He had looked up in surprise and confusion, and he continued, “there you are. It’s gonna be alright – I’m taking you home now.” Erik helped him to his feet and out the door._

Natasha raised an eyebrow towards the other agents in the room, but did not voice her question and instead turned back to the screen so to watch the progression of the plan obviously in motion.

_Erik and Thor exited the system of tunnels and walked down the few steps to the damp ground. Erik’s eyes constantly darted from side to side at the agents going about their business as Thor steadily observed his surroundings until his eyes fell upon something to his left. He seized the dark leather-bound notebook from atop a pile with the sign ‘Property of Jane Foster, Culver University’ on his way past a table._

_“Dr. Selvig!” Agent Coulson called, the two men regretfully slowing to a stop with their torsos and arms tensed. “Just keep him away from the bars.”_

_“I will!” he responded as Thor covertly passed him the journal to hold inside his long coat, both relaxing their postures at the revealed request._

_“Where are we going?” Thor asked after darting a glance back at Coulson._

_“To get a drink.”_

_In the distance behind them Coulson ordered of the agents around him, “Follow them.”_

“And there you go,” Tony directed towards Natasha with a gesture towards the image.

_Scattered beams of distinctly coloured light shone from the ceiling of the long dim room, groups of men drinking around tables or playing pool with camaraderie as a rock song played softly overhead. Erik and Thor sat on a couple of the high cushioned stools arranged around the bar, beers in hand._

_“You know I had it all backwards,” Thor admitted with a slight shake of his head. “I was all wrong.”_

_He stared in silence for a few seconds before imparting, “That’s not a bad thing – finding out that you don’t have all the answers.” Thor turned to look at him, Erik concluding, “You start asking the right questions.”_

_Thor returned to staring at the bottles lining the back of the bar before slowly confessing, “For the first time in my life, I-I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.” He turned back to face Erik, eyes searching his for some kind of comfort._

_“Anyone who’s ever going to find his way in this world has to start by admitting he doesn’t know where the hell he is,” he responded._

_Thor realized this before leaning forward and saying, “Thank you, for what you’ve done.”_

_“No, no, don’t thank me – I only did it for Jane._

_“Her father and I taught at university together – he was a good man-” he tilted his head slightly and added, “but never listened.”_

_“Neither did I,” Thor acknowledged. “My father was trying to teach me something but I was too stupid to see it.”_

_“I don’t know if you’re delusional, or if you’re pulling some kind of con – I don’t care,” Erik began, turning on his stool to face Thor with narrowed eyes, “I just care about her._

_“I see the way she looks at you,” he said, disturbed, shifting to lean on the bar again._

_Minutely Thor furrowed his brow and shook his head, replying, “I swear to you, I mean her no harm.”_

_“Good. In that case, I’ll buy you another round-” Erik relented, indicating the stock behind the bar, “-if you leave town tonight.”_

“He has nowhere to go,” Tony stated, disgruntled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Pepper placed a hand on his arm, replying, “He doesn’t know that.”

“I doubt Foster’s going to allow it, anyway,” Clint adds.

Thor swallowed, but nodded in acquiesce.

_“Two boilermakers,” Erik orders from the bartender. Two large glass mugs of beer are set in front of them as well as the accompanying shots of whiskey. Erik grabs the shots and pours them into both of their drinks, then they both wrap their hands around the glasses and clink the top edges together in a cheer. As they begin to down the cocktail their eyes meet over the rims and an unspoken challenge passes between them, both starting to chug their drink in earnest._

“Yes!” Tony shouted. “Drinking contest!"

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Men.”

_They have begun their second round, the first hefty glasses of beer showing to have affected Erik as he tried to appear casual as he stood up from his stool and glanced down the bar in both directions. He then leaned forward to pick up his mug and gulped a sip of the drink before suddenly hurling the glass to the floor. It shattered on impact and the remaining liquid splashed over the tile as he shouted, “Another!”_

They all laughed at scene as well as the mimicry of Thor’s initial behaviour.

_They both laughed as Thor slammed his hand on the surface of the bar and agreed, “Another!”_

_“Another!” Erik screamed, throwing his hands into the air._

_“Another!” Thor repeated with a wide smile._

_“Another,” Erik finished gleefully as another couple of boilermakers were placed in front of them._

_The two men were now stumbling down a sidewalk along a deserted road, slurring a Norwegian folk song: “The mood is good, our hearts are full, there’s magic in the air~” They turn a corner and continue marching to the melody, “It’s all because we’re here tonight, and haven’t got a care! So raise a glass-” Thor lifted Erik by the waist as they spun around a streetlamp, “-and toast to life, wherever it may lead.”_

_They abruptly decided to stop and improvise a clapping routing, slapping their thighs, clapping, raising a shoe to tap fingers on an ankle, and repeating as they chanted, “Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, a friend is fine indeed. Tra-la-la, tra-la-la, a friend is fine indeed!” As they went to high-five on the final beat, Erik missed completely with a wheezing laugh and toppled forward onto the ground._

_Thor murmured an ‘oh’ and bent to help him to his feet. At the nonresponsive form he yielded to hoisting him over one shoulder and carrying him off._

“Why aren’t you drunk at all, Thor?” Pepper asked curiously.

“Ah, Lady Pepper, Midgardian ale has not even a fifth of the potency of our weakest brew!” Thor explained with a superior grin.

“That’s insulting,” Tony said, affronted. “I’ll introduce you to the good stuff when you’re next at my place.”

_A whirl of colour streaked down from the clouds, a blinding contrast to the shadowed wasteland. A dark figure had been left by the transportation of the Bifrost at the edge of the land’s jagged surface, beginning to walk forwards. The wind howled as he stepped through the layers of snow underfoot, approaching a ruined stone castle._

_Loki was garbed in his favoured leather ensemble, metal gleaming over his chest as his cape snapped about his heels._

“What the fuck is he up to now?”

_Jötunns lined the walls of the room, standing double his height, watching him as he drew closer to the seated giant in the throne at the head of the space. King Laufey intoned, “Kill him,” immediately._

_Loki tilted his head in amusement as he paused, inquiring, “After all I’ve done for you?”_

_Laufey slowly voiced aloud his revelation: “So you’re the one who showed us the way into Asgard.”_

_“That was just a bit of fun, really – to ruin my brother’s big day,” he divulged with a parody of a smile. “And to protect the realm from his idiotic rule for a while longer.”_

_“I will hear you,” he announced, his broad sapphire torso inclining forwards in anticipation, crimson eyes intent._

_“I will conceal you, and a handful of your soldiers,” Loki proposed, pacing, “lead you into Odin’s chambers, and you can slay him where he lies.”_

His teammates glanced to him at his brother’s suggestion, but Thor had simply furrowed his brows in confusion. He had arrived upon Asgard to Laufey’s corpse, after all.

_“Why not kill him yourself?” Laufey sneered._

_He smirked as he scoffed in amusement, answering, “I suspect that the Asgardians would not take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor. Once Odin is dead,” he cast his gaze to the ground briefly before lifting it to meet the Jötunn King’s stare, “I will return the Casket to you-” Laufey stood, “-and you can return Jötunheim to all its, uh,” he looked around at the wrecked civilization before finishing with a smile, “glory.”_

_“I accept.”_

Steve grit his teeth at the arrangement, shouting, “How can you not be bothered by this? It’s immoral, and underhanded!” Tony raised an eyebrow at the wording of his reasoning, but agreed with the question.

Thor shrugged slightly and answered vaguely, “I’m sure you will see.” He then lowered his eyes to the tabletop and confessed, “It’s difficult for me to be truly upset at any of my brother’s actions after millennia of him being by my side, and then – after all this – he...” He shook his head to dismiss the thought of his brother’s final action that year, gathering himself.

_The array of light swirled as Loki appeared inside the gilded mechanism that was the Bifrost, Heimdall standing at attention before him. He cajolingly asked, “What troubles you, Gatekeeper?”_

_“I turned my gaze upon you on Jötunheim and could neither see nor hear you,” he disclosed, amber eyes fixed on him. “You were shrouded from me like the Frost Giants that entered this realm.”_

_“Perhaps your senses have weakened after your many years of service,” Loki recommended, chin lifted._

_“Or perhaps someone has found a way to hide that which he does not wish me to see.”_

_“You have great power, Heimdall,” he acknowledged, circling around the dais upon which he stood. “Did Odin ever fear you?”_

_“No.”_

_“And why is that?”_

_“Because he is my king, and I’m sworn to obey him.”_

_“He was your king, and you’re sworn to obey me now,” Loki corrected sternly before seeking confirmation with a ‘yes?’_

_Heimdall’s lips thinned as he pressed them together slightly, staring impassively down at his ‘king’. He grudgingly answered, “Yes.”_

_“Then you will open the Bifrost to no one, till I have repaired the damage my brother has done,” he commanded, striding out._


	9. Escalation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration.

_Jane held the borrowed book, ‘Myths and Legends from Around the World,’ in her hands, rereading the few chapters that related to the mythology Thor believed he was a part of. With a slight shake of her head in dismissal she closed it with a sigh. A loud series of knocks suddenly banged against the door and caused her to gasp in surprise, hurriedly untangling her legs from the blankets and pillows she had arranged herself underneath on top of the bed._

_She breathed heavily in anxiety as she hesitantly rushed through the motor home to the door. She swung it outwards to gasp at the sight of Thor with Erik thrown over his shoulder. “Oh my god – is he okay?”_

_Thor chuckled, “He’s fine, not injured at all.” As he climbed up into the vehicle he bumped Erik’s head against the low row of cabinets, the drunk man releasing a pained ‘ow’ at the impact. “I’m sorry, my friend,” he apologized with a grin and pat to the back of one of the legs over his shoulder._

_“What happened?”_

_“We drank – we fought – he made his ancestors proud,” Thor explained._

_She rolled her eyes and sighed, gesturing further into the vehicle and ordering, “Put him on the bed.”_

_He walked the few steps required before crouching down and gently righting Erik’s form, Jane behind him and partially aiding. Erik’s hair was mused and his expression showed confusion as the flush on his face faded while the blood rushed from his head. He grinned widely at her before tipping backwards onto the bed, dragging Thor, who had had his arms around him so to steady him, down as well._

_Erik groaned at the sharp movement, turning onto his side as if to bury his face into the covers. The two men wheezed out a laugh as Thor pulled away, chortling an ‘okay?’ as he laid a hand on his shoulder. Erik smiled and muttered, “I still don’t think you’re the God of Thunder-” before patting his cheek, concluding, “-but you ought to be.” Thor pat him again as they shared another laugh before he withdrew from the bedroom._

_He panted somewhat at the overall trial, approaching the door and appearing to mean to exit before he turned back to face Jane and asked, “Are these your chambers?”_

_“Uh, it’s more of a temporary living situation,” she corrected with a nod. “Oh,” she said, appalled at the sight of the mess overtop the counter space. “I’m sorry – I don’t-” she snatched an unfinished bowl of cereal and the opened box and swiftly shoved them into a cupboard, smiling awkwardly, “-usually have guests.”_

“Did she just put a dirty bowl full of milk and cereal into a cupboard?” Steve asked rhetorically in disgust.

Tony chuckled, replying, “Be sure to never wander into my workshop.” 

_“Actually, um, I never have guests,” she corrected as she idly scratched the back of her neck with a laugh. After a second of silence his smile dropped and her expression suddenly conveyed a realization while she spun around as she muttered, “That’s not the right place for it.” She took out the dirtied bowl and, careful not to spill any of the remaining milk, placed it atop the pile of used dishes already in the sink. “Ah, sorry, um,” she stuttered at the mess, covering it all with a tea towel, “can we go outside?”_

_“Yes, of course,” Thor answered with a delayed smile, undoubtedly reflecting on the promise he had made to Erik earlier._

_They sat themselves in a couple of lawn chairs beside an open fire pit, the logs burning and spreading warmth to the cold desert night air around them. “I come up here sometimes when I can’t sleep, or when I’m trying to reconcile particle data, or when Darcy’s driving me crazy,” Jane revealed before laughing lightly, “I come up here a lot now that I think about it...”_

_Her hand flit to her mouth for a second for her to anxiously bite the tip of a finger before she folder her hands in her lap. She glanced at him a few times before finally confessing, “I’m really glad you’re safe,” while facing him._

_“You’ve been very kind to me and I-I’ve – I have been far less grateful than you deserve,” Thor acknowledged._

_“Well I hit you with my car a couple times so I think that kind of evens things out,” Jane managed as they chuckled. They stared at one another for a few moments as the light wind tossed their hair about._

_“Perhaps I had it coming,” he mused. He watched her even though she had turned towards the flames of the fire, before abruptly leaning back so to pat the sides of the open jacket he was wearing. She observed him as he searched, before exhaling an ‘oh my god’ at the small, bound journal that he placed in her hands._

_“I don’t believe it,” she stated with a smile as she hurried to open the book._

_“It was all I could get back – I’m sorry it’s not as much as I promised.”_

_“No, no – this is great!” she exclaimed as she skimmed through the pages. “This is-” she cut herself off and looked at him, maintaining, “I don’t have to start from scratch now. Thank you.” He smiled and nodded._

_As she gazed at the open pages in her lap her head fell forward slightly and her brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?” Thor asked slowly._

_She shook her head and deduced, “SHIELD, whatever they are, they are going to do everything in their power to make sure this research never sees the light of day.”_

_“No, Jane, listen to me – you must not give up,” Thor pleaded as he shifted closer to her. “You must finish what you started.”_

_“Why?” she asked, eyes covered in a glaze of tears that she did not allow to gather and fall._

_“Because you’re right,” he said simply. “Here, look-” He moved closer again and carefully took her journal from her hands, leaning into her side as he flipped through the pages. He came upon a two-sheeted sketch of several planetoid masses and scattered constellations and rotated it so it spread length-wise before her._

_“Your ancestors called it magic,” she nodded with a confused hum at his start, “and you call it science – well, I come from a place where they’re one and the same thing,” he finished with a soft smile. She smiled back hesitantly for a second before it shook and fell from her lips, and he began to add lines to her drawing._

_She stared at him and another brief smile alit upon her mouth at his vigor before she looked down at the image he was adding, squinting at the pages so to try and understand the construction. “What is that?”_

_“My father,” he began, “explained it to me like this – that your world is one of the nine realms of the cosmos, linked to each other by the branches of Yggdrasil-” The previous drawing was now contained within his sketched lines, three objects making up the trunk of the immense tree and another five the branches, one more in the space where the branches merged with the base. “-the world’s tree.” She followed his explanation with an expression of disbelief, but asked him to tell her more.*_

_“So the Nine Realms: now here is Midgard, which is Earth, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Jötunheim, and Asgard, and that’s where I come from...”_

_The nearly-full moon’s bright white light peeked out from behind the dense streaks of cloud cover as they lay on the reclined chairs. Thor twisted in his sleeping bag so to face Jane, then reached over and adjusted the covering slipping from her slumbering form. She turned her head towards the pressure of the touch before settling again. He mumbled a soft, “Thank you, Jane.”_

“Why wasn’t the whole explanation shown?” Tony rhetorically asked in frustration. “Someone grab some paper for this man!” Steve frowned at his conduct but did not comment, Agent Coulson leaving the room to presumably fetch what was required. “You don’t mind repeating everything you told her, right, Big Guy?” Tony asked, smirking towards Thor.

“Of course not, my friend! I would be delighted to speak of my home and the lands which I’ve embarked upon glorious quests!” Thor answered with a grin.

Coulson returned with a few sheets of paper and pens and rounded the table to set them before Thor, who thanked him earnestly. He started to sketch the image that had been on screen before, seven orbs placed specifically within an enormous tree.

“I thought there were Nine Realms,” Pepper said in confusion.

“They are separated into nine, yes, Lady Pepper. The realm of Asgard is home to more than one,” he began, but before he could resume the explanation Tony took a picture of the finished image with his phone** and had JARVIS transfer it through SHIELD’s database and to the room. The pixels were projected through the holographic interface of the table they were seated around and Tony smirked cockily and waved for Thor to continue.

“This is the realm of Asgard,” Thor started, indicating the mass where the branches of the tree joined with the trunk. “It is split into three realms: Alfheim, Asgard, and Nidavellir. Asgard and Vanaheim are home to those you recognize as gods and goddesses, the Æsir; they produce sibling races, Vanaheim’s offspring occasionally referred to as the Vanir, the majority of which are female – blessed with fertility, wisdom, and foresight. Alfheim is home to the light elves, and Nidavellir the dwarves.

“There is also another sector of the realm of Asgard and Vanaheim, that of Valhalla. This houses those of the dead who died honourably, and is on a separate plane. Only those given the ability to cross over the boundary that marks those living from dead may enter and freely exit again – as is true of all the realms that hold the souls of the dead.

“Now, above Asgard is Múspelheim. This realm is the origin of fire, and is home to many beasts and demons that manifested from the flames.” Thor’s gesturing moved downwards to where Asgard sat, pointing to one of the two worlds on either side and slightly below his home. “This is Jötunheim, home of the Jötunns,” then, motioning to the other, “and this is Midgard, where you all reside.”

He then continued down into the trunk of the tree, continuing, “This is Svartálfheim, where the dark elves dwell,” and then to the world situated at the very base of the trunk of Yggdrasil, “and this is Helheim. My niece, the goddess Hela, rules this realm – that of the underworld, and the remaining souls of the dead. And this,” he indicated a realm tucked into the roots of the tree, “is Niflheim, where the dishonoured dead dwell – in a world of mist and ice.”

“Huh,” Agent Hill said at the description.

“Fascinating,” Bruce mumbled.

“So, you have elves, dwarves, giants...” Natasha started, trailing off so to allow him to elaborate.

“Yes, those are the other races of the realms, aside from the Æsir, you mortals, and the dead,” Thor nodded. “There are also dragons and bilgesnipe and trolls and many other creatures that are fierce in battle. I could not possibly list them all – it seems every time I venture from my chambers I discover another beast to fight!” he said with a booming laugh.

“What the hell’s a bilgesnipe?” Clint scoffed.

“Large and scaled, with antlers,” Coulson answered, and everyone turned to him in surprise. Thor beamed at his remembrance.

“I don’t wanna know,” Tony stated, collapsing the image conjured above the table. “What’s the difference between a dark elf and a light elf?”

“The light elves are as fair coloured as the Æsir, though stand a foot shorter, and the dark are so named for their violet skin – having hair fair as moonlight and standing in stature equal to my kin as well as the Vanir. I’m afraid I don’t know anything of either of their customs or ways – the Æsir have more relations with the dvergar (that which you call ‘dwarves’) than either.”

_A gilded floor was paced furiously by Fandral as the other two of the Warriors Three and Sif sat in the chairs arranged around the fire, which softly lit the golden room. He angrily stated as he marched, “Our dearest friend banished, Loki on the throne, Asgard on the brink of war – yet you’ve managed to consume four wild boars, six pheasants, a side of beef, and two casks of ale,” towards Volstagg._

Steve’s eyes widened at the amount of food as the males of his team swore under their breaths, Tony shaking his head afterwards and realizing, “If everyone eats like that up there, then Asgard must be rich as hell.”

“You didn’t think that when you saw the gold plating on everything?” Fury jeered.

_Said warrior lounged across a couch with a platter held on top of his stomach, tearing strips off a leg of meat with his teeth. “Shame on you – don’t you care?” he shouted accusingly, halting abruptly before him and flipping the plate and all its food clear from him._

_“Do not mistake my appetite for apathy!” Volstagg countered heatedly, jumping to his feet and glaring down at Fandral’s narrowed eyes._

_“Stop it, both of you,” Sif ordered, her and Hogan standing as well to each grab hold of one of the frustrated men and pull them apart. “Stop-” she repeated, the two turning their backs on each other in a huff. She softly stated, “We all know what we have to do.”_

_“We must go,” Hogan said. They all faced him with wide, anxious eyes. “We must find Thor.”_

_“It’s treason,” Fandral asserted._

_“To Hel with treason – it’s suicide,” Volstagg contributed._

_“Thor would do the same for us,” Sif murmured, eyes glazed as she stared at the floor._

_“Shush,” Volstagg hushed, his gaze darting upwards in realization. His hand immediately covered his mouth and he gnawed at the skin between thumb and index in concern before he whispered, “Heimdall might be watching.” Hogan’s shoulders tensed in dread._

_They all jerked and straightened at the grand double doors swinging open, the four turning to face the entrance in a line. An armoured guard strode to stand before them, standing tall in the doorframe and rapping the bottom of his spear on the tile as he announced, “Heimdall demands your presence.”_

_Fandral and Sif exchanged a wary glance before the guard exited, Volstagg proclaiming, “We’re doomed.”_

“Yep,” Tony assented.

_Jane was cooking along the back counter of their deserted workspace, Thor holding out two plates that she added a serving of scrambled eggs to after which he nodded while he smiled. Erik and Darcy were seated around a small circular table, Erik dropping a tablet into his orange juice to dissolve and hopefully alleviate the pain of his hangover. Thor placed the plates of breakfast before them, pulling down the teacloth that was over his shoulder and wiping his hands before wringing it worriedly between his palms. Darcy smiled and issued a ‘thank you’ that Erik repeated gingerly, careful with his volume._

_“You’re very welcome,” Thor replied, relaxing his grip on the towel and returning to where Jane was busying herself._

_Outside, arranged on the roof of a building across the street, were two agents assigned to recon. One held a handheld, concaved audio amplifier directed towards them and the other was peering through a pair of binoculars. Immersed in static, a request resonated through the radio, the agent listening in on the targets reporting, “They want an update.”_

_“Tell them he’s eating eggs,” the other retorted._

_“Scrambled or fried?” he posed impassively, the other agent lowering his binoculars to direct an unimpressed stare towards him._

“Do most of your grunts act like that?” Tony chortled. “Must only be you guys that aren’t funny.”

_Erik, Darcy, Jane, and Thor all sat around the table eating serenely and trading smiles. Thor paused with a thoughtful look as he held his mug in his hand, asking, “May I have this?” as he weighed the ceramic._

_“Sure,” Darcy responded with a chuckle._

_“Thank you,” he said before excusing himself and getting to his feet._

_Up the road and at the street corner outside the diner they had visited the previous day, the elder waitress ‘Izzy’ stood sweeping the sidewalk just beyond the threshold of the door._

_“Excuse me, Isabella,” Thor greeted as he approached her._

_“Oh my gosh,” she gasped, spinning around and peering at him warily over the rims of the glasses perched low on her nose, clutching the handle of her broomstick._

_He held out the mug he had brought with him, explaining with an apologetic smile, “To replace the one I broke.”_

“Aw,” Pepper cooed, casting an admiring smile towards Thor.

Tony mock-glared at him and stated, “You’re making me look bad.”

_“Please forgive me for my behaviour.”_

_“Okay, thank you!” she gushed._

_“If I may, I’d like to come back here for more of your splendid coffee,” he proposed, fingers wringing together._

_“Anytime,” she accepted, gesturing vaguely towards the imminent days with the mug._

_“Wonderful,” he said with a grin, laying a hand on her shoulder as she laughed before he moved back towards Erik and Jane’s workspace._

_She watched him go, nodding in approval, “She could do worse,” before casting her eyes in disbelief back to the mug and returning inside._

They chuckled at the comment, Thor beaming in pride.

_Heimdall stood with his hands clasped before him facing the opposite opening from which the four warriors had entered, Volstagg stuttering out as he turned to face them, “Good Heimdall, ah, let us explain-”_

_“You would defy the commands of Loki, our king?” he asked, his immovable stance emphasized by the thick, golden armour worn from head to toe. “Break every oath you have taken as warriors and commit treason to bring Thor back?”_

_“Yes, but-” Sif started immediately, though her eyes did not rise up to meet the all-seeing gaze from his position atop the dais._

_“Good,” he announced, cutting her off and prompting all four to glance up at him in astonishment as he descended the steps separating them._

_“So you’ll help us?” Sif queried as her and Volstagg parted from Fandral and Hogan to allow Heimdall to walk past them._

_“I am bound by honour to our king – I cannot open the Bifrost to you,” he explained as he exited the structure and continued out onto the bridge._

_“Complicated fellow, isn’t he?” Fandral posed in perplexity, casting his gaze to Hogan briefly for commiseration._

_“Well now what do we do?” Volstagg wondered aloud._

_Sif turned from the Gatekeeper’s distancing form in frustration and shouted, “Look!” at the long sword left in the central mechanism. The remaining three faced the controlling platform and they all rushed up the stairs with hopeful smiles. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif activated the Bifrost, streaks of white lightning shooting upwards to begin initiating transport._

“Ah, sweet cunning!” Tony applauded with a grin.

“If this didn’t benefit Thor I’d question the wisdom of keeping that guy at his post,” Clint commented.

Natasha nodded, adding, “Loki is currently king – none of his actions can be construed as illegal. If he was actually taking action to protect or better Asgard’s state of living then Heimdall might have been obstructing his plans.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at their defense of Loki’s rule, but Steve hesitantly nodded. Soldiers are entrusted with following a certain set of orders, and their loyalty to their commanders is what allows their plans to come to fruition and for wars to be won. It was easy to appreciate Heimdall’s actions after watching Loki discuss Odin’s impending murder with Laufey – though Thor’s reaction to that conversation implied a different sequence of events – but he did not know what had taken place on Jötunheim.

It was clear that the Asgardians distrusted Loki, but he was their king now, and he did not have to justify his actions to anyone. He might have been discussing a cessation of hostilities, or peace treaty, or any number of actions regarding their imminent relationship – simply preferring to speak one-on-one with the Frost Giant King and relying on his magic so to defend himself if the conversation took a negative turn. If that had been the case, Heimdall allowing the four warriors to retrieve Thor would have threatened anything agreed upon as Thor was the one who had insulted and attacked them. 

_Loki stood with Gungnir in hand on one of the extensive balconies of the palace, gazing out over the multitude of buildings that made up the capital of Asgard. At the sight of the powerful beam of the Bifrost he spun with pursed lips and furrowed brow, abruptly stilling at the guard that had approached him from behind._

_“My liege,” he addressed with lowered eyes, “the Warriors Three and Lady Sif have gone missing.”_

_Loki marched past him and the other guards standing at attention at the bases of the tall columns that were scattered about the terrace, determinedly entering the palace with his cape snapping about his heels._

“Is he going to try and stop them?” Steve asked.

“Yes,” Thor replied, merely gesturing to the screen instead of answering what action Loki intended to take.

_At the crater site, SHIELD’s instruments had recorded the event; a monitor displayed the retracting whirl of energy in a warped, dull yellow grid. It collapsed upwards until the signature vanished._

_“What the hell was that?” Agent Coulson asked as he strode purposefully through the adjoining hall and through the room with computers and equipment lining the walls and tables._

_“I don’t know, sir,” an agent started as he leapt out of his seat and followed him as he walked. “We got massive energy readings out of nowhere and then they just disappeared – fifteen miles due north-west.”_

_“Let’s go take a look,” Coulson suggested, the agent following him and the seated one that was analyzing the data of the occurrence interpreting the request as an order and moving to follow him to the SUVs outside. Several other agents and scientists piled into other vehicles to assist, the fleet of cars driving out through the guarded gates of the compound._

_“Base to team two, we’ve got activity outside the town,” the two agents were informed by one of the men remaining at the site of Mjolnir. He then directed, “Stay on your target.”_

“Strange energy flux – no worries,” Tony started, “keep your eyes on the big goofball eating breakfast.” Pepper lightly smacked him.

_Loki strode through the Weapons’ Vault towards the end of the isle, coming to a halt before the pedestal that held the Casket and rapping the base of Gungnir against the cold stone of the floor. The decoration that made up the wall before him began to shrink and vanish, a blinding white inherent light obscuring a goliath figure._

_“Make sure my brother does not return,” Loki commanded, the metal that fashioned the Destroyer now reflecting the light surrounding it. “Destroy everything.”_

“I find it odd that he’s still calling you his brother here, even when he’s sending that machine to kill you,” Bruce mused.

“Well, maybe he hasn’t gotten into the habit of thinking of himself as a Frost Giant yet?” Steve suggested.

“It may be more that he still believes his actions justifiable,” Thor thought, elaborating, “He started to distance himself from me by rejecting our familial bond only once he allied himself with the Chitauri.”

“Now that you and your friends are ‘dealt’ with, what’s he going to do to Heimdall?” Natasha asked.

Thor shrugged and answered, “I am unsure – when my friends and I returned Heimdall was weakened, but not imprisoned or seemingly grievously harmed. I don’t know what my brother did in retribution.”

_The Bifrost impacted the desert sand in a cloud of dust, the bright colours dispersing in the daylight to reveal the Warriors Three and Lady Sif standing inside the edges of a circle intricately carved with runes. They looked around in confusion as to their location, the dry wind tossing their hair and any loose clothing about._

_Hogan began to walk off as Volstagg directed, “He must have landed nearby – it’s time to put our tracking skills to work._

_“Spread out, and check the sand for indentations of his boots.”_

_“Nah, the winds would’ve blown them away by now,” Fandral stated. “We should look for signs of a campfire.”_

_Sif cast her discerning eyes around before landing upon a small town in the distance, saying, “Or we could just start there.” She trekked in the direction of the buildings, Hogan some ways ahead of her already as he had taken initiative the instant they had landed._

_The remaining two traded a glance before Fandral acquiesced in defeat, “Worth a look I suppose.”_

_They followed, Volstagg hoisting his axe onto his right shoulder as he hoped, “Maybe there’s a tavern open.”_

The women in the room managed to simultaneously roll their eyes.

_They strode in a strict line of four, each alongside another, past the green sign declaring the city’s limit in white lettering:_

_Puente Antiguo_

_CITY LIMIT_  
 _POP 2,175 ELEV 6,056_  


_As they walked down the middle of the main road of the small town, their difference in dress was juxtaposed severely with the segment of the population that was meandering about their own business. The civilians passing them by use of the sidewalks flanking their catwalk often performed a sharp, incredulous double-take at the sight of the armoured and armed warriors._

_Several children were playing baseball in an alleyway the warriors were passing, the pitcher whipping the hard ball so it accidently bounced off one of the brick walls and onto the street instead of towards the batter. It rolled under the white car parallel parked at the curb just beyond the mouth of the alley, the young girl throwing down the bat and running to fetch it._

_She crouched as she circled the vehicle, searching for where it landed. Volstagg observed her predicament and dismissively flung his axe to the side, trotting daintily to her and insisting, “Allow me.”_

“Did he just throw his axe?” Clint asked, tilting his head minutely to the side in wonder. Thor blushed at the attention drawn to the careless action and shrugged in response.

_He bent down and placed a hand under the edge of the vehicle, lifting one side up a couple of feet with a grunt before reaching under to retrieve the ball with a satisfied sigh._

“Uh, right then,” Tony muttered. His teammates’ expressions of awe matched his own to varying degrees, only those equipped with super-strength themselves or being impassive agents of SHIELD maintaining no widened eyes under their brows.

Thor noted their wonderment and pointed out, “My friends, you have seen my feats of strength in battle – why does this action surprise you?”

“Well,” Steve opened, “it caught me off guard because it was shown for such a menial task. When we’re fighting we’re all expected to perform feats like that, so it blends in – but here...”

“Yeah, I agree with Cap,” Tony inserted. “It’d be like whipping out my suit to zip out to grab a pizza ‘cause I’m too lazy to wait for the delivery guy to deal with traffic.”

“No, that’s not an accurate parallel,” Natasha said. “And I’ve seen you do that.”

“What I think they mean is that,” Pepper interjected, “while you and your friends go about your daily lives you have no need to use the extent of your strength, and so unless you’re in battle it’s easy to forget that you have so much more power at your disposal.”

“Ah,” Thor nodded.

_He dropped the car casually and stepped over to her with a smile, bending down to place the ball gently into her hands. “There you go, lass.”_

_She issued a sincere ‘thank you’ in reply, fluttering her eyelashes as she beamed before running back to her friends. He chortled and turned away, returning to his companions as well._

_The three stood on a raised stage with amused expressions, Hogan handing his axe back once he was in front of them. “Is it just me or does Earth look a little differently now?”_

_“It has been a thousand years,” Sif justified._

_“Well, changes happen so fast – you leave for a millennium and look at the state of the place!” Volstagg continued undeterred. They stepped to ground level and continued down the street as he jokingly urged, “Best speed up then.” He inhaled a series of sniffs suddenly before stopping and drawing in a large whiff of the scent he had caught with a gratified sigh. He then began sniffing in earnest as he grasped his axe firmly, starting in the opposite direction as to the other warriors._

“He’s like a hound,” Tony smirked.

_Fandral, Sif, and Hogan marched down the road, the two agents stationed for surveillance observing from a rooftop while dining on Burger King.“Is there a Renaissance Fair in town?” one asked._

_“Call it in,” the other retorted around a mouthful of burger._

_Volstagg approached behind them as the man conceded, radioing the base, “We’ve got a Xena, Jackie Chan, and Robin Hood-” before being cut off as he grabbed a hold of the napes of their necks and forced their heads to knock together._

_“Never cared for spies,” he stated as he caught the one agent’s burger, it having flown upward as the man had flailed briefly at the attack. “Exquisite,” he moaned in appreciation at the taste of the burger._

“Finally, SHIELD agents’ weakness,” Tony proclaimed, “a hungry man after their food!”

_Thor stood by the sink in the counter at the back, drying the recently washed dishes of their breakfast. “It’s a beautiful theory, Jane,” Erik granted as he stared at Thor for a moment before turning and continuing regretfully, “but you won’t be able to convince the scientific community of any of it-” Jane turned away from Thor as well with downcast eyes as Darcy’s expression tightened in dismay beside her. “-not without hard evidence.”_

_‘Knock, knock, knock knock’ Volstagg tapped on the glass doors, shouting a delighted, “Found you!” at the sight of Thor in the background. He looked up at the commotion, eyes widening as he gaped at the grinning Warriors Three and Lady Sif arranged in a row along the outside of the doorway._

_Jane jumped back and both Erik and Darcy dropped the mugs that they had been holding at the spectacle of the four armoured people. “My friends!” Thor called as he rushed to them, Hogan and Fandral pulling open the doors so they could all enter and each gleefully embrace him. “This is good, this is good!”_

_Darcy stared as Erik murmured, “I-I don’t believe it.”_

_“Oh, excuse me,” Volstagg uttered in apology as he met them, introducing, “Lady Sif,” to which she nodded, “and the Warriors Three.” Erik traded a glance with Jane._

_“My friends,” Thor started with a hand on Hogan’s shoulder, “I have never been happier to see anyone – but you should not have come.”_

_Volstagg’s smile fell as he scoffed in disbelief, looking to Fandral who explained with a smile, “We’re here to take you home.”_

_“Y-You know I can’t go home,” Thor said softly as his arm returned to his side. Sif furrowed her brows as he faintly persisted, “My father is... dead, because of me,” Jane gazed at him with sympathy as he continued, “and I must remain in exile.”_

_“Thor,” Sif started, shaking her head, “your father still lives.”_

_He stared._

“Woah damn, there you go,” Tony commented. Pepper rolled her eyes and chided, ‘Tony,’ at the remark.

_Heimdall stood with his back to the machinery of the Bifrost, his sword held down so the tip was placed on the colours of magic that streamed through the bridge beneath his feet. He faced the glimmering city, waves crashing below, as Loki calmly advanced towards him._

_“Tell me, Loki, how did you get the Jötunns into Asgard?” he asked, amber eyes piercing._

_“You think the Bifrost is the only way in or out of this realm?” he asked rhetorically. “There are secret paths between the worlds to which even you, with all your gifts, are blind. But I have need of them no longer – now that I am king,” he announced before heatedly sneering, “And I say, for your act of treason, you are relieved of your duties as Gatekeeper – and no longer citizen of Asgard.”_

_“Then I need no longer obey you,” he stated steadily before swinging his sword with bared teeth._

_Loki released Gungnir to narrow his stance and sweep his right hand a foot above his left, palms facing each other, to summon the Casket of Ancient Winters into his grip. The Casket’s power began to freeze Heimdall, layers of ice building over his armour, skin, and sword as he resolutely attempted to persevere in forcing his blade to swing towards Loki. Loki, whose skin darkened to sapphire as grooves were dug in sharp patterns over his features, whose eyes brightened to scarlet, and who watched as he froze completely with the tip of his sword caressing the side of his neck._

_He glanced down at the blade before back to the all-seeing Gatekeeper, reversing the motion of his hands so to send the powerful artefact from his grasp._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) I've omitted the few seconds where Thor notes the Hubble telescope being able to see the realms. That's incorrect - the Nine Realms _are not_ the planets present in our solar system.
> 
> (**) My depiction of Yggdrasil is a combination of the mythology and the comic verse, so if you think something contradicts what you believe the arrangement to be, then look up the other universe and that's where you'll find it's correct.
> 
> If you had trouble trying to picture the way that I constructed it (because there are a lot of different assemblies of the Nine Realms available):
> 
> **Muspelheim**
> 
> **Midgard, Asgard and Vanaheim (Alfheim, Nidavellir, Vahalla), Jӧtunheim**
> 
> **Svaltalfheim**
> 
> **Helheim**
> 
> **Niflheim**


	10. Feint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. His elaborate scheming and dramatic shift from the values displayed at the beginning of the ordeal start to inspire dread in them at viewing the conclusion.

_“Get somebody from Linguistics down here,” Agent Coulson ordered from his position, crouched on the ground where he had been attempting to understand the intricate pattern of runes left imprinted from the Warriors Three and Lady Sif’s arrival. The dusty wind swirled relentlessly around the agents swarming the Bifrost site, thick clouds gathering overhead._

_At the edge of the town a crowd was drawn at the sight of the spinning vortex, the four warriors, Thor, Jane, Erik, and Darcy gazing in dread from the doors of the glass building. Those collected in the streets wondered at the grey accumulation in the midst of the clear blue sky, while the SHIELD agents underneath the event watched the development of the eddy warily. The wind shook their vehicles, and on the dashboard of one an uncovered coffee cup teetered and tipped onto its side, sloshing its liquid over the surface._

_Suddenly the churning mass of cloud spun downwards and struck the ground with an explosion of sand._

_Citizens flinched back and exclaimed in shock at the sound of the impact, Darcy asking hopefully as she gaped, “Was somebody else coming?”_

_The agents had taken refuge crouched behind their cars, rising at the materialization of the gargantuan machine on the runic circle they had been examining. The Destroyer stood tall and flexed its metal fingers as the granular debris settled around it._

_“Is that one of Stark’s?” an agent asked from Coulson’s side._

“No, it’s not mine.”

_“I don’t know,” he answered, reaching over to grasp the megaphone in the other’s hand before continuing in exasperation, “guy never tells me anything.”_

_They moved out from behind their cover-_

“Don’t just walk up to that huge, metal Cyclops,” Tony warned the agents onscreen.

_-Agent Coulson greeting ‘hello’ through the speaker as The Destroyer walked towards them. “You are using unregistered weapons technology – identify yourself.” It paused, emitting a sound not unlike a growl as the plating of its ‘face’ shifted to provide an opening into the empty cavern of its head. “Here we go,” Coulson stated, turning briefly back to the other agent, evidently expecting an explanation._

_The Destroyer glowed from within, amber light shining from the slits between the elegant strips of metal of its composition as its chest expanded. The agents took a step back before moving to dart behind their vehicles in earnest, Coulson shouting, “Incoming!” as the Destroyer emitted a beam into the center of where they had been previously gathered. The attack tore through the car that was parked directly in front of it, a fiery explosion consuming it. The Destroyer repeated its attack on another pair of vehicles, the blast flipping the remains and throwing agents._

_The colours of the explosions could be seen from the town, the residents beginning to vacate the streets. “Jane, you have to leave,” Thor said at the sight of destruction in the distance, Erik, Darcy, and her standing astride him as the Warriors Three and Lady Sif stood with their weapons in hand._

_“What’re you gonna do?” she asked, facing him defiantly._

_“I’m staying here.”_

_“Thor’s going to fight with us!” Volstagg clarified excitedly as he threw his arm across Fandral’s shoulders, both of them grinning._

_“My friends,” Thor started, the warrior’s arm falling to his side again as Thor turned to clasp Fandral’s shoulder for a second as he continued, “I’m just a man. I’ll only be in your way – or worse, get one of you killed. But I can help get these people to safety.”_

_“Well if you’re staying, then so am I,” Jane said with furrowed brows._

_Thor smiled lightly. “We’ll need some time,” he ordered of the warriors._

_“You’ll have it,” Fandral asserted as he and Hogan separated from the others._

_“Okay, move it people,” Darcy shakily demanded of those who still lingered outside._

_Erik burst through the door of a diner, commanding, “Everybody out – use the back door,” as he ushered the ones in the establishment out. “Go on! You can eat later!”_

_Volstagg exited a house with one male over his shoulder and another under his arm, tossing them both out onto the street. They ran as he defended, “It’s for your own good.”_

_“It’s gonna be okay, don’t be scared,” Darcy murmured to the small black dog cradled in her arms. She kept glancing worriedly over her shoulder at the looming figure of The Destroyer as she hurried down the sidewalk, others sprinting past her to escape the town. “I’m not gonna let the big, huge monster step on you.”_

_“Excuse me,” Darcy called as a car approached the corner she had reached. “Hey! Stopstopstopstop,” she said as she forced the vehicle to brake as she stood in front of it, before circling around to the driver’s window. He rolled the clear pane down as she begged, “Hi, hi – can you take my dog?” The driver nodded and reached to pull the small canine into his arms and against his chest as she continued, “His name is Baker, I just named him ten seconds ago – be careful-” The car pulled away as she screamed an ‘I miss you’ after the dog._

“Aw,” Pepper cooed quietly. Tony noted the response with raised eyebrows.

_Thor and Jane carried a blond child and toddler to a pickup that was being filled with children and their guardians, Thor passing one and then the other into the box of the vehicle._

_The Destroyer stepped past the city’s outer limit to the escaping of its citizens, a mother screaming to her daughter to ‘run, honey!’ as they fled from it. It charged with a whir of machinery and shot its blast through the corner store in front of it; the glass of the windows shattered as the walls blew apart, all of the shelving and merchandise inside being consumed in flames. It targeted another beam at one of the vehicles parked on the other side of the street, the resulting explosion flipping it onto its roof as the Warriors Three and Lady Sif strode down the center of the road to meet it._

_“Keep it distracted,” Sif ordered with a smirk as she veered behind their line of combat to attack from another angle._

_The Destroyer sauntered closer to them, turning briefly as it walked to destroy a gas station; the pumps lit instantly at the flare and ripped apart the adjoining convenience store, flames spilling outwards onto the street. Fandral and Hogan halted and faced each other a few feet apart, glancing at the monumental metal figure stalking nearer through the fire before they cast their eyes back to Volstagg. Fandral beckoned and he took a fortifying breath before running at the two, proclaiming, “For Asgard!” as they threw him towards it._

_He swung his axe as he approached, but The Destroyer merely raised a hand and swatted him backwards like one would an insect. He let out a small scream of pain as he flew, landing on the hood of a car. Thor, Jane, Erik, and Darcy watched as The Destroyer walked to him, Volstagg not moving from his spread-eagle arrangement. Overhead, Sif leapt off the roof of a building and readied her spear as she kicked off the side of a streetlight as The Destroyer’s ‘face’ shifted away and it readied itself to attack. She impaled it through its neck as she crouched on its back, its form forced to bend at the waist by the weapon._

_The amber glow faded as its figure stilled, Volstagg exhaling a sigh of relief as Sif cockily smirked in victory._

“It can’t be that easy,” Agent Hill said in disbelief.

_Then the glow returned and The Destroyer whirred into motion._

“You jinxed it,” Tony whined.

_Thor surveyed it with an anxious swallow as its hands, arms, chest, and torso twisted. Fandral sent a nod to Hogan and they both rushed to Volstagg to lift him to his feet as the metal of its knees, legs, and head turned to face upwards where Sif rested on one knee. She dove off its chest as The Destroyer fired a beam skyward, landing harshly on her back on the ground as it pulled itself off her spear._

_“Fall back!” she commanded as she struggled to her feet, running in the direction of where Fandral and Hogan hurried with Volstagg helped between them. The Destroyer aimed and attacked again, the beam carving deeply into the road behind Sif and blasting her into a car before it continued on through a streetlight and the upper wall of a couple buildings. The Warriors Three paused and jerked to move towards where she had raised herself onto all-fours, The Destroyer punching a parking meter before directing a beam to the area between them and her._

_The resulting explosion threw Sif into the car again, the Warriors Three flying through the windows of a diner to crash into the counter._

_“Go, now – run,” Thor ordered Erik, Jane, and Darcy as he started towards his friends._

_Volstagg managed to unsteadily climb to his feet and look to The Destroyer just as it turned towards them to shoot another incinerating ray. The extensive explosion decimated the diner, Volstagg hurled into the concrete wall of another building and splintering a wooden bench with his landing; Erik, Darcy, Jane, and Thor ducked to cover their heads as they ran from the flung debris and pieces of glass, though Erik was knocked down regardless. He skid and fell to lie on his back to Jane’s concerned call of his name, all three immediately kneeling at his side and gasping in horror at the large shard of glass protruding from the right side of his chest._

_He struggled for breath at the pain, Darcy cradling his head as Jane muttered, “Don’t move, don’t move.” Thor scrambled to his feet and dashed away from Erik’s injured form, past the diner where Hogan was climbing to his feet against one of the remaining walls, casting his eyes over the charred road in search of something. He raised his arms against the heat and smoke of a small fire he passed, then slid on a patch of dirt in his haste to fall to one knee and grab a petit pouch that had been pitched to the ground._

_“Stay down!” he shouted to Sif as he ran back to Erik, her having gathered herself and her fallen shield from behind a car and moving to attack again._

_As Erik lay he shakily addressed Jane who hovered above him, “I-I should tell you to go on and leave me behind but-” he panted to regain his breath before continuing, “-please don’t.” He offered a fleeting smile before a pained grimace overtook his features, Jane smiling as well for a moment before touching his face in sympathy._

_Another blast echoed in the distance, causing the two women to jump slightly before returning their hands to their positions bracing Erik as Thor fell to his knees roughly beside them. “Just one, just one...” he muttered to himself, unrolling the pouch he had found and holding one of his hands beneath its opening as he shook out its contents. Dust poured over his palm as he scowled and growled, “Come on.”_

_A small, smooth stone fell into his hand at last, seeming to be what he had been hoping for as he tossed the empty pouch away. Jane asked, “What is that?”_

_“It’s a healing stone,” he answered, grasping it in his left hand and clenching his fist to begin to crush it as he finished, “I just hope it’s enough.”_

_The granular particles of stone coursed down onto the wound, the injury and glass glowing white where they touched. The glass gradually disappeared similar to mist as Jane and Darcy watched, Thor breathing heavily as he completely reduced the stone to dust. He lowered his hand to hover over the remaining piece of glass as it shone and disintegrated before waving his hand over the bloody wound. It knit itself and the material that had been covering it together._

“Okay, what?” Bruce muttered, removing his glasses with one hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose with the fingers of the other.

Tony gestured to him and exclaimed, “See?! All this hocus-pocusing is gonna kill us!”

Pepper sighed and calmly demanded, “Stop being so dramatic – I’m sure there’s an explanation.”

“I wouldn’t have to be so dramatic if Thor could actually answer our questions,” Tony grumbled before arching an eyebrow. “Actually, when we do get around to interrogating Loki about all this magic, will he be able to understand our terminology?”

Bruce hummed before replying, “I don’t know how much interaction he’s had with...mortals before all this. He might not understand our day-to-day jargon, never mind scientific terms.” He turned to Thor and asked, “I assume you had never been to Earth before you were exiled?” At his nod he continued, “Had Loki?”

“I’m not certain,” Thor answered regretfully. “It always seemed as though he kept to his room for his studies, but whenever the Warriors Three and I convinced him to accompany us while we quested there were times in other realms that he led us, or creatures that he easily tracked – such things that he would needed to have done before.”

“Uh huh,” Tony murmured, absentmindedly adding ‘healing’ and ‘Earth knowledge’ to their list of topics to question him about.

_Erik breathed easier and relaxed, Jane and Darcy sharing an astonished, gawking gaze before turning to Thor, who allowed a relieved smile at his wellbeing. A loud boom sounded again and Thor stood and rushed towards it as Jane and Darcy helped Erik into a sitting position. “I’m really starting to like him,” Erik uttered softly, his hand lightly resting on his chest._

_“Sif, Sif,” Thor called as he ran to her side, falling to his knees in front of her and grasping her by the shoulders, “you’ve done all you can.”_

_“No,” she insisted, shaking her head, “I will die a warrior’s death – stories will be told of this day.”_

_“Live, and tell those stories yourself,” he argued, firmly cupping her cheek. She shook her head again, but clenched her eyes shut and covered his hand with hers in acquiesce. “Now go,” he ordered as The Destroyer attacked again, the beam cracking the road where it met it and overturning the car they had taken refuge behind. Sif had darted one way and Thor the other, the wave of the blast’s impact throwing him slightly and forcing him to roll as he landed so to avoid harm._

_Darcy and Jane helped Erik to his feet as Fandral and Hogan aided Volstagg, Thor running to them and saying, “You must return to Asgard – you must stop Loki.”_

_“What about you?” Fandral panted._

_“Do not worry, my friends,” Thor stated with a smile, “I have a plan.”_

_“Come on,” he said, pulling the other two warriors towards the mortals as Thor cast his eyes to the ground and his smile fell._

“I know that look,” Pepper said with narrowed eyes. She turned to him and questioned slowly, daring, “You’re not going to sacrifice yourself, are you?”

Thor pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair, distancing himself as much as he could without seeming improper. I can see in that one look that this Lady Pepper is filled with strength and is not one to be crossed. It is no wonder that she can take care of the reckless Man of Iron. He thought as well, She is also most probably sensitive right now regarding self-sacrifice, because of Anthony’s actions at the end of the earlier battle.

“There was no other choice,” he insisted. “It was I that Loki was after.”

She frowned and replied sternly, “Considering the number of times that I see this sort of thing happen, I think that all of you simply don’t look for other options.” She cast her eyes around the table and only Natasha and the three SHIELD agents were able to meet her gaze without guilt.

_“We need to fall back – come on,” Fandral repeated to the others, Sif having joined the three humans. ‘Come on,’ Jane urged as she supported Erik, all of them turning to distance themselves from the colossal machine._

_Thor threw down the shield that Sif had left in his possession with a steely gaze._

_“Wait,” Jane said as she stopped, turning to seek out Thor’s figure. The seven watched as he walked assuredly, empty-handed, towards The Destroyer. “What’s he doing?” she gasped._

_The Destroyer moved forward at the same pace as Thor, the Warriors Three behind trading glances in debate and occasionally motioning to join him. Smoke plumed upwards from the scattered fires, The Destroyer kicking a car from its path as it advanced._

_“Brother,” he began, “whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry.” In Asgard, Loki sat in the Allfather’s golden throne with one elbow propped on the armrest, his index finger tracing thoughtfully over his bottom lip as his eyes flicked up from the ground in attention. “But these people are innocent – taking their lives will gain you nothing.”_

_The Destroyer prepared itself to attack for the final time, fire burning at its core as Thor finished, “So take mine, and end this.”_

_Loki gazed unseeingly into the distance, his hand falling after a moment to rest along the arm of the throne._

_The glow extinguished, the metal of The Destroyer’s ‘face’ shifting to reform over the hollow space of its head._

“No way,” Tony said, his furrowed brow mirrored by all those in attendance, with one exception.

_Jane gaped at the confrontation while Thor's lips twitched at the corners to pull his mouth into a smile. It turned to walk away, but then abruptly swung its arm and backhanded Thor._

"Shit," Clint cursed, all those around the table wincing at the action.

_Hit with the impenetrable metal, Thor's mortal form was airborne as he was hurled backwards to Jane's panicked shout of 'no!' She ran to him as he landed roughly and was forced into a roll due to the momentum, crashing onto his back and gasping. There were two bloodied stripes across his right pectoral muscle, the upper finishing across his mouth, and one at his cheek and forehead, bracketing his right eye. She collapsed to her knees beside him, cupping his face gently in her hands._

_"It's over," he whispered._

_"No," she insisted with a furious shake of her head, "it's not over."_

_“I mean,” he corrected weakly, “you’re safe.”_

_“I’m safe,” she nodded with a small smile, the expression quickly abandoning her at his laboured breathing._

_“It’s over,” he whispered again._

_She stroked his cheek as he gave a final, rattling breath, murmuring, ‘no’ at his closed eyes. She hovered over his prone form, gaze searching his unmoving face. The other six stood with mouths open in shock; Loki spun to return to his throne from which he had moved, The Destroyer mirroring his actions and turning away as well. Jane placed a shaking hand on Thor’s chest, muttering another ‘no’ as she bowed her head and began to cry._

_In Odin’s chambers, a tear fell from beneath one of the slumbering king’s eyelids._

Thor’s teammates shifted restlessly, their eyes darting to his placement so to remind themselves that he did not die that day. Steve leaned over and rested a hand on his shoulder to offer support at the scene, as well as to reassure himself of his presence.

_At the crater site, the radiation emitted by Mjolnir increased, lightning cracking through the surrounding air as Odin’s words rang through her. **“Should whoever holds this hammer,”** the rock she was imbedded in crumbled away as she shook, **“if he be worthy,”** the monitors scrambled the feed they were receiving because of the interference, the watching scientists hurrying to record the energy readings she was providing with all of their instruments, **“shall possess the power of Thor.”**_

_His rune appeared etched clearly upon the side of her head, and she broke free from the rock she was encased in. She shot into the sky with a roll of thunder, a trail of cloud left in her path at the speed._

“That must’ve thrown you guys off,” Tony teased the SHIELD agents. Fury glared.

_Lying partly on Thor’s body, distressed, Jane twisted to look into the sky at the sound. Mjolnir soared in an arc towards her as she stared, Erik running to her and crying out her name in warning. He grabbed her by her upper arms and hauled her away from Thor as she protested, “No, no, no!”_

_Mjolnir twirled as she plummeted so as she neared the ground her handle was offered, and Thor’s arm shot up to grab it._

_From the mass of cloud that had gathered, lightning streaked down and connected with his figure and caused his eyes to open wide as he gasped. Loki’s cape snapped about his heels as he turned his attention back to Midgard, The Destroyer pivoting as well. The injured Warriors Three and Lady Sif smiled elatedly as Thor’s armour reassembled and clasped his arms and chest in the midst of the bright white lightning that enveloped him._

_“Oh – my – God,” Jane uttered in wonder as Erik gaped in disbelief._

_The Destroyer whirred without delay and glowed amber as its ‘face’ shifted again, but Mjolnir hurled herself to impact its head, the destructive beam knocked askew. She was called back to Thor’s hand, smashing into The Destroyer’s head once again and sending it to the ground before resting in his awaiting hold. Thor stood wearing his restored armour, Mjolnir in hand and scarlet cape fluttering in the wind; Jane laughed, overwhelmed._

_The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, Darcy, Erik, and Jane ran from the fight as the wind swelled in response to Thor flying into the sky, Mjolnir held aloft, dodging another one of The Destroyer’s beams. Dark, thick clouds were drawn into an all-consuming eddy that lightning and thunder crashed within, wind tearing around and creating a vortex beneath it that dragged in the debris lying scattered. Cars lifted around The Destroyer to spin around and around, Thor spinning Mjolnir by the strap on her handle. He increased his efforts, and the machine was lifted as well._

_As it rose, it fired a beam towards him that Thor batted away, the following attack deflected with the same ring as it bounced off Mjolnir. The third ray was fired as Thor flew down to The Destroyer, Mjolnir meeting it head on and forcing the flames to flare outwards and away from her charge as they traced the path of the beam back to its origin and smashed through the metal at the back of its head._

_There was a brilliant auburn shockwave that exploded outwards upon impact, expanding past the walls of the clouded whirlwind. The Destroyer fell heavily to the ground, conquered, and the cyclone dispersed as Thor landed. He strode confidently to his awaiting friends, vehicles crashing to the ground behind him._

_“So is this how you normally look?” Jane questioned in amazement, noting the billowing cape, gleaming armour, and the heft of Mjolnir in his hand._

_“More or less,” he replied with a smirk._

_“It’s a good look.” She nodded in approval as Erik smiled from her side._

_“We must go to the Bifrost site – I would have words with my brother,” Thor stated to the Warriors Three, who nodded in response._

_“Excuse me,” a voice called, Thor, Erik, and Jane turning to see several agents climbing out of a car. “Donald,” Agent Coulson addressed sarcastically as he walked to stand before him, “I don’t think you’ve been completely honest with me-”_

_“Know this, son of Coul, you and I fight for the same cause – the protection of this world. From this day forward you can count me as your ally – if,” Thor stepped back to stand alongside Jane, resting a hand at the small of her back, “you return the items you have taken from Jane.”_

_“-stolen-” she adjusted._

_“-borrowed,” Coulson corrected before considering the request. “Of course you can have your equipment back – you’re going to need it to continue your research.” She lifted her chin smugly and traded a pleased look with Erik._

_“Would you like to see the bridge we spoke of?” Thor asked, gazing down at her._

_“Uh, sure,” she said with a shrug and a smile._

_He pulled her close with an arm around her waist to her excited grin, then laughter as he lifted them into the air; they were unmindful of Coulson’s shouted, “Wait, I need to debrief you!”_

“Everything’s settled there,” Steve commented.

“Yes, but they still have to deal with Loki,” Natasha reminded.

_The streaks of light from the Bifrost’s center faded as Loki removed Gungnir from the controlling dais he stood upon._

“Speak of the Devil,” Tony muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

_King Laufey and three other Jötunns stepped forward, Loki greeting, “Welcome to Asgard,” while Laufey smiled._

_He led the Jötunn King and another over the Rainbow Bridge, the remaining two flanking the Gatekeeper’s frozen form._

“I still don’t see the point in having Laufey kill Odin,” Pepper said.

“There’s a point to it, we just have to wait,” Natasha remarked.

_Thor and Jane landed at the circle of runes imprinted in the dirt, Thor pacing to the center and bidding, “Heimdall, open the Bifrost.” After a few seconds, when there was no response, he called, “Heimdall?”_

_The All-Seeing Gatekeeper groaned lowly, struggling within his confines at the sound of another call. Fissures cracked along the surface of his icy prison._

_“He doesn’t answer,” Thor stated to his friends._

_“Then we are stranded,” Hogan observed gruffly._

_“Heimdall! If you can hear me, we need you now!” Thor shouted skyward._

_“Heimdall, we need you now,” he repeated to Heimdall’s increasing efforts. The cracks spread to the thinner ice over his hands and sword, and he ripped himself free._

_The ice shattered around him and cascaded to the surface of the bridge with a crash as he spun, the two Jötunns standing guard leaping towards him. He swung his blade and swiftly decapitated one, spearing the other through the abdomen and flinging him over the edge._

_“Heimdall!” Thor hollered again._

_The Gatekeeper stumbled up onto the pedestal and gingerly inserted his sword into the mechanism, eyes rolling back into his head as he slumped to the floor._

_The clouds swirled overhead and began to spiral downwards around the array of colour that was congregating. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three smiled and ran to stand at the site directly underneath it, Fandral releasing Darcy’s hand as he went._

_Jane walked to Thor and he pulled her to him by the waist, solemnly swearing, “I must go back to Asgard, but I give you my word I will return for you.” Their faces swayed nearer to one another before Thor glanced down and lifted her hand to his lips to place a kiss at her knuckles. “Deal?”_

_She suddenly surged upwards and caught his lips with hers, wrapping her arms around his neck for leverage as she kissed him desperately._

Tony whistled lewdly as Clint chortled to Thor’s faint blush, the two receiving smacks from the female beside them at their behaviour.

_She coaxed his tongue into the exchange as they continued, a moment later separating with heaving breaths. “Deal,” she concluded with a smile as she stared into his blue eyes, his gaze darting down to her lips a couple of times before he pulled himself away. She watched as the five warriors were drawn into the infinite rays of colour and wrenched skyward._

_They flew through the stark waves of light and bodies of stars before materializing in the golden dome of the Bifrost. Thor commanded, “Get him to the healing room,” at the sight of Heimdall’s fallen form, and the other four rushed to obey. Volstagg removed the sword from the dais and the passage to Midgard closed behind them; Fandral, Hogan, and Sif knelt around the Gatekeeper’s limp form._

_Thor jogged down the steps of the pedestal and exited, demanding, “Leave my brother to me.”_

“Finally, someone’s going to deal with the little shit,” Tony commended. 

“So you got there before Laufey killed your father?” Bruce queried.

Thor hesitated before gesturing forward towards the screen and replying, “You will see.”

_The decoratively carved, tall, golden doors to Odin’s chambers started to ice over, frost creeping outwards from the middle seam to overtake their expanse. Frigga hurried to the side of her husband’s bed, drawing a sword from the frame and turning just as the ice continued over the walls and the doors swung open._

_She boldly slashed across the torso of the first Jötunn as he reached for her and sent him to the floor, but did not raise the blade quick enough to harm Laufey. He hit her and she was thrown to the side, rolling across the floor as his crimson eyes locked onto the unguarded form of the Allfather._

_Thor held Mjolnir before him as he flew over the sprawling city and to the palace._

_“It’s said,” Laufey began, holding the lids of Odin’s left eye open with two of his fingers, “you can still hear and see what transpires around you. I hope it’s true, so that you may know your death came at the hand of Laufey.” He lowered his hand and formed an icicle in his grasp, raising it high above his head while he straddled the motionless king. Just as he moved to plunge the makeshift dagger into his enemy a fiery blast connected with his back and pitched him to the floor in a shower of sparks._

_Loki lowered Gungnir with satisfaction, declaring, “And your death came by the son of Odin.”_

_Laufey wheezed as his eyes widened, making an attempt to move but only managing to lift his head. Loki aimed the ruling spear again and released another beam that incinerated the Jötunn King upon contact._

_“Loki, you saved him,” Frigga observed gratefully, getting to her feet and rushing to embrace him._

“What the hell just happened?” Agent Hill interrogated, frustrated.

“This guy, I swear...” Tony grunted.

“So he just wanted Laufey in Asgard so he could kill him?” Bruce rhetorically questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“It has to further something else,” Steve muttered with narrowed eyes.

_“I swear to you, Mother, that they will pay for what they’ve done today,” Loki vowed._

“There you go,” Director Fury said.

“So we’ve come full circle,” Bruce noted. “We started with Thor recklessly rushing off to Jötunheim with Loki knowing how stupid it was, and now he’s going to attack them with Thor trying to stop him.”

“Finding out he was adopted completely ruined him, didn’t it?” Pepper thought aloud. “Now his plans all work towards lashing out at something – the Frost Giants, because he hates that part of himself...” She shook her head.

“When Thor confronts him he’s going to become wild and dangerous,” Natasha informed.


	11. Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki is imprisoned in the aftermath of the Avengers’ defeat of the Chitauri, a foreign disk arrives on the Helicarrier and the Avengers watch Loki's degeneration. They attempt to deal with the complete breakdown they have witnessed, and the effects it might have had on the motivation for his most recent actions.

_“Loki,” Thor called as he came to stand in the open doorway._

_“Thor!” Frigga exclaimed, hurrying to encircle him in her arms. “I knew you’d return to us.” Thor’s gaze never wavered from Loki’s form as he embraced her in return._

_She watched, confused, as Thor moved stiffly towards his brother, Loki quickly stepping further into the room and holding Gungnir in front of him in defense. “Why don’t you tell her how you sent The Destroyer to kill our friends, to kill me?” he snarled, adjusting his grip on Mjolnir’s handle._

_“What?” she said, looking at Loki incredulously._

_“Well, it must have been enforcing Father’s last command,” he defended, Odin’s extravagant bed now between them._

_“You’re a talented liar, brother, always have been,” Thor acknowledged with bared teeth._

_“It’s good to have you back,” Loki stated calmly, hand resting over his heart. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to destroy Jötunheim.” He suddenly glowered with furrowed brows and fired Gungnir, the beam blasting Thor through a wall out of the palace and plunging him down to the ground far below._

“‘Destroy Jötunheim’?” Bruce repeated before sighing and admitting, “I doubt it’s an exaggeration – he doesn’t seem like he’s in the state of mind to march in with an army.”

“What’s he planning on doing – blowing it up?” Tony snorted.

_Loki urged his steed into a gallop over the length of the Rainbow Bridge, hastening to the mechanism of the Bifrost. He dismounted and moved to slide the shaft of Gungnir into the control upon the dais, white streaks of light driving the outer dome to spin, gaining momentum as the narrow point atop fell to aim towards Jötunheim. A bright beam lasered through the expanse of space to land on the planet, the ground shaking as the ray of energy decimated the buildings it touched._

“Of course,” Tony groaned.

Pepper furrowed her brow in confusion, asking, “How can it do that?”

“Earlier,” Bruce started, “when they travelled to Jötunheim initially, Heimdall warned them that if the bridge was left open its full power would run unchecked and destroy the planet it’s aimed at.”

“Oh,” she gasped.

_At the prolonged freedom the pedestal crystallized, a barrier forming around the paths of light that branched out to the curved wall. Thor soared from the capital to the edge of the realm, slowing to land on his feet with Mjolnir at the ready as he entered the dome. He noted the tree of energy in the center of the machine with trepidation._

_“You can’t stop it,” Loki stated. “The Bifrost will build until it rips Jötunheim apart.” Thor ran to swing Mjolnir at the thinner ‘roots’ that ran around the control center but Loki fired a beam from Gungnir’s tip that hit his chest, sending him sprawling on his back on the floor._

_The Bifrost continued to ruin the monolithic structures, tearing the stones from their foundations and those foundations from the earth that was being fractured from the force of the bridge, as the Jötunns ran to try and escape from the destruction._

_The sky above the site on Midgard was dark as clouds gathered, flashes of colour flaring through the remains of the portal. Darcy, Erik, and Jane circled the impression to gather along one side, Erik murmuring, “Jane,” in question as they watched the episode._

_“Why have you done this?” Thor questioned in distress._

_“To prove to Father that I am the worthy son,” Loki articulated. “When he wakes, I will have saved his life, I will have destroyed that race of monsters, and I will be true heir to the throne.”_

_“You can’t kill an entire race,” Thor insisted._

_“Why not?” he retorted, a sudden grin full of teeth stretching his mouth. “And what is this newfound love for the Frost Giants?” he asked, descending the row of stairs to stand before his brother’s figure. “You – who would’ve killed them all with your bare hands.”_

_“I’ve changed.”_

_“So have I,” he said before striking Thor across the face with the end of Gungnir. “Now fight me,” he insisted as he leaned forward, hitting him again when he did not immediately move to do so. Thor was tossed backwards by the blow and landed on his back on the floor as Loki screamed, “I never wanted the throne!”_

_He circled the raised pedestal as Thor clambered to his feet, snarling, “I only ever wanted to be your equal.”_

Thor grit his teeth at the proclamation, shaking his head slowly from side to side in regret.

_“I will not fight you, brother!” Thor shouted._

_“I’m not your brother, I never was.”_

_“Loki, this is madness,” he persisted._

_“Is it madness? Is it?” Loki shakily asked, tears collecting in his eyes. “Is it?! Come on, what happened to you on Earth to turn – you – so – soft? Don’t tell me it was that woman!”_

_Thor’s expression instantly transformed from that of pleading to defensive, his eyes narrowing. “Oh, it was,” Loki observed, a tear trailing down his cheek. “Well maybe, when we’re finished here, I’ll pay her a visit myself!”_

_Thor yelled as he jumped towards Loki, Loki leaping to meet him in midair. The metal of Mjolnir and Gungnir chimed as they clashed, Thor pinning Loki to the floor when they landed. Loki kicked Thor off of him and he rolled with the force as Loki stood to swing Gungnir down, Thor extending a leg as he rolled to avoid the blow and tripping him. Loki fell on his back as Thor stood, swinging Mjolnir down._

_Loki held Gungnir between his hands as Mjolnir met the shaft in a shower of sparks, Loki straining to keep the spear aloft as Thor tried to force the hammer down onto his chest. Loki kicked upwards and hit Thor in the face, forcing his head backwards and away from his attack. Loki got to his feet and charged with a yell, swinging Gungnir only to be deflected by Mjolnir once on either side before he blocked a downward swing from her by thrusting upwards before adjusting his hold and throwing her off, and Thor sideways._

_He jumped and screamed as he plunged Gungnir down towards the back of Thor’s head, imbedding the spearhead into the floor as he rolled to avoid it. He yanked to pull it free but it resisted, forcing him to bend over backwards as Thor rushed him and swung Mjolnir at his head. As he returned Loki grabbed onto the spear with both hands and propelled himself around the shaft to kick Thor in the chest with a laugh._

“He’d make one hell of a stripper,” Tony murmured, cracking a smirk. Pepper smiled softly and interlaced their fingers in support while they continued to watch the siblings fight.

_He pulled Gungnir from the floor and lunged, swinging and being blocked twice before Mjolnir’s head caught the spear’s shaft and he was forced to spin Gungnir in a tight circle to throw her off. This cast Thor off-balance and so Loki drove forward, the spearhead just missing being impaled in his not-brother’s chest. Thor took advantage of his miss and elbowed him in the neck, the blow to his windpipe stunning him momentarily as he gasped and allowing Thor to seize the back of his armour and hurl him across the area._

_He landed heavily on his stomach and hurried to get to his feet as Thor had wound Mjolnir over his head and jumped to attack. He managed to spin and fire a beam from Gungnir but the strength of Thor’s swing overcame the blast he took to the chest and he slammed into Loki. They crashed through the spinning dome of the Bifrost and tumbled out over the bridge, Loki losing his spear and rolling to the edge._

_He slipped off with a cry of ‘Thor!’ as he clung to the lip, said warrior glancing over to the fingers that he could see as he stood and walked over. He gazed down at Loki’s suspended form as he implored with red-rimmed eyes, “Brother, please.”_

_Thor sighed and fell to one knee to reach down, Loki’s figure shimmering brightly and disappearing as he did so._

“Bastard,” Agent Hill swore to sympathetic grunts and clenched teeth.

_Thor gaped as his fingers grabbed at nothing as Loki appeared behind him with a cackle and stabbed him as he turned, the tip of Gungnir burning through the armour and charring the flesh of his stomach. Loki tossed him off his spear to lie on his back on the bridge, Thor emitting a pained yell at the jarring impact._

_Loki stood over him with Gungnir in hand, armour and helmet gleaming as his figure blurred and he multiplied his image to surround his not-brother’s fallen form with cruel laughter. Over thirty Lokis readied their spears and lunged forwards just as Thor shouted, “Enough!” He held Mjolnir skyward and lightning streaked down to him with a crash to echo his command, blasting the illusion apart to leave a single Loki to be thrown backwards and to land roughly on his back._

_Gungnir clattered to the surface of the bridge as Thor climbed to his feet with a pained grunt, walking over to where his brother’s body lay recovering. Loki looked up at his stature nervously, awaiting a devastating blow, but Thor merely crouched over him and decisively laid Mjolnir on his chest before standing and turning back to the Bifrost’s destruction._

_Loki lifted his head to gaze at the hammer in shock before attempting to move his torso. His body did not move a fraction of an inch at his efforts, though he also strained the muscles in his arms to reach up and grab hold of Mjolnir’s head to try and push her off him. He yelled as he struggled, Thor moving in the distance to approach the Bifrost. The immense amount of energy being released began to draw him in as he moved closer, lighter debris pulled from the waters and edge of the city dragged to follow the beam’s path to Jötunheim._

_“Look at you,” Loki heaved breathlessly, “the mighty Thor, with all your strength – and what good does it do you now, huh?!” He threw his head back to rest on the bridge as he yelled jeeringly, “Did you hear me, brother? There’s nothing you can do!”_

_Thor stood in front of the whirl of light and energy that the metal dome had become, mouth open as he panted and debated prospective actions. He threw his arm back, hand open, and Mjolnir was called to his grasp. He paused for a second before he resolutely swung her down, fracturing the surface of the bridge._

“No,” Tony and Bruce gasped in horror as their teammates gaped, even the SHIELD agents present recoiling in dismay.

“That... physically pains me,” Tony confessed with wide eyes, turning a look of disgust onto Thor.

“I could not let it rip apart Jötunheim,” he justified, to reluctant nods.

Tony did not accept the excuse, arguing, “But it’s an inter-dimensional bridge! It’s not like you can just build another one – you don’t even know how it works!”

“You said before that Loki might,” Bruce started. “Is it still damaged?”

Thor winced and hesitantly answered, “That may be too tame a word for Mjolnir’s harm upon it.”

Tony growled and moved to lunge in attack against the god beside him, but Pepper laid a hand on his shoulder and gestured to Bruce. His eyes had darkened in anger as well, but he continued, “You could get him to help fix it. He would know more about it than any of you, who haven’t studied magic.”

“I don’t even care if that’s his only punishment,” Tony snarled, “or even if he runs off and tries to kill more people. That is an Einstein-Rosen bridge that can instantly transport any number of people to another dimension! It needs to be fixed! It’s a crime against science – magic – nature that you broke it!” He glowered at Thor, daring him to disagree. He did not, vocally, instead turning back to the display.

_Odin’s eye opened wide._

_Brow furrowed in determination, Thor smashed Mjolnir into the bridge over and over again causing an increasing number of cracks to web out across its surface. Loki sat up slowly, staring in disbelief as he continued to work to separate the Bifrost from the energy that flowed through it from the Rainbow Bridge, the array of colours streaming more fervently to supply the power needed to sustain the prolonged opening._

_“What’re you doing?” Loki whispered in shock as he gaped, a hand outstretched as if to encompass his brother’s repulsive actions and put a stop to them. Thor ignored his disgust and roared as he swung again, Mjolnir’s head breaking through the first couple of layers of the bridge._

_“If you destroy the bridge you’ll never see her again!” Loki shrieked._

Clint raised an eyebrow. “There’s an argument.”

“The only valid one,” Tony sneered. “It’s obvious that someone doesn’t care one lick about the value of what he’s smashing to pieces.”

_Thor purposefully swung again; the cracks now spread the entire width of the surface and through the lower layers of the bridge. Loki shakily got to his feet and clutched Gungnir in his hands as he persistently stalked forward, surging into a loping charge as he neared his brother’s turned back._

_“Forgive me, Jane,” Thor pleaded as he gathered his breath, heaving Mjolnir into the air so to swing her down a final time with a roar as Loki shrieked and lunged with the ruling spear aimed to impale his back._

_Mjolnir struck the Rainbow Bridge again, the impact expanding the cracks littering the surface and severing through the structure. The connection broke with an explosion of white light, the damaged section of the bridge fracturing into jagged pieces that flew into the air. A sphere of energy surged with no direction, Thor and Loki hurled violently at the aftershock that thrashed the waves below. The Bifrost whirred in lament as its momentum slowed and the mechanism caught fire, the smoking wreckage toppling down into the remains of the portal._

_Loki yelled as he began to fall after the ruins, his descent halted by Thor reaching to grab onto the head of Gungnir that he still held, his own drop prevented by Odin’s sudden appearance and grasp of his ankle. The Allfather panted from the edge of the splintered remains of the bridge as he held his two sons above the distant, coloured tear in space, the vortex’s pathway along the branches of Yggdrasil skewed and ruptured without the anchor and direction of the Bifrost._

_The gravity of the passage continued to drag debris in nonetheless, their forms pulled towards it as well as they hung. Loki’s complexion was pale as he gripped the shaft of Gungnir, Thor growling as he determinedly maintained his hold on the spear also._

_“I could’ve done it, father!” Loki implored. “I could’ve done it – for you! For all of us,” he said, his voice breaking with the assertion._

_“No, Loki,” Odin solemnly stated._

Tony swore softly, “That loathsome bastard-” before cutting himself off with a sob as he watched, knowing the out Loki was going to take to escape the disappointment directed at him. 

_Loki swallowed as he absorbed the words, tears gathering in his eyes and spilling over and down his cheeks as his expression grew saddened and hopeless. “Loki no-” Thor started as he watched his brother, but he paid him no heed as he stared into Odin’s eyes and slackened his hold on the end of the spear._

_“NO!” Thor cried in distress as Loki let go, falling without struggle down into the expanse of space and drawn into what was left of the broken portal. Odin repeated ‘no’ unsteadily as they watched the swirl of shades disappear into darkness and scattered stars._

Tony bowed his head and shook it from side to side as if to reject the actions he had just witnessed, tears streaking down his face. Most of those seated around the table shared his reaction: Pepper, at his side, sobbing quietly with her face in her hands; Thor shaking as he cried at having been forced to watch his brother fall once again; Bruce and Steve shedding tears silently as well, empathetic with the forlorn look on Loki’s face and the search to just do something to relieve some of the pressure.

The SHIELD agents and assassins may have been dry-eyed, but they were not unaffected. At the revelation of Loki’s final act before falling (presumably) into the Chitauri’s company, they were forced to recalibrate their thoughts on his goals. It was believed before that Loki had sought out a species that had thoughts on targeting Earth so that they were sympathetic to his own aims and therefore agreed to an alliance, but with this-

They had no reference for comparison, for whatever Loki experienced when he fell through that wormhole; this disregards any emotional and psychological turmoil that would have influenced the decision to let go, the fall, and the course of action he decided on once he had landed. In deducing the physical strain, it was impossible. They may be dealing with an enemy who, as they had first assumed, had been transported to the Chitauri’s world, or one nearby, and arranged with them his alliance to the end of Earth’s subjugation for reasons unknown.

Or they may be dealing with an enemy who, in reference to the other extreme of what was possible, had experienced severe physical trauma while struggling to survive in the throes of a fractured wormhole, landed injured in the Chitauri’s world, or one nearby, and had been forced to play a role to conceal the true orchestrator that desired Earth’s subjugation for reasons unknown.

Just as this extreme is unlikely, so too is their original theory. Which causes Director Fury displeasure.

“Pull yourselves together!” he snapped sternly. “We’re going to begin questioning him now – there are too many unknowns with what that magical vortex put him through and under what conditions he met the Chitauri. The pressing concern is if there is a higher power that is going to regroup and attack again.

“Coulson, ensure that either Agent Barton or Agent Romanoff is uncompromised for this – or else find another who is. The rest of you clean yourselves up,” he finished as he exited, Agent Hill following a step behind.

“Sir, do you want continue to allow access to Loki for the rest of the Avengers?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You think that’s wise?” she queried incredulously. “Sir, they’re obvious sympathetic-”

“As long as he is in that cage he’s choosing to be harmless, though we don’t know why yet,” Fury asserted. “If any of the Avengers can get on the same page as him it will only benefit us once our pressing questions are answered. The next move will be to understand and neutralize the magic he’s brought to our attention.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Tony quickly escaped the room while frantically scrubbing at his eyes, Pepper remaining seated for a moment longer to compose herself before determinedly setting out to track him down. Bruce, Steve, and Thor withdrew from the remaining agents as well, separating once out in the hall to seek out solitude and reorganize their thoughts. With one exception, who did not wipe the tears from his eyes while he strode down once again to visit with his brother.

Thor entered the room with a slight smile, glad to have Loki healthy and whole in his sights after reliving his fall from the bridge. The guards sought confirmation for his entrance from Fury before they slid the pane of fortified glass aside for him to step in, swiftly shutting it behind him.

Loki had glowered at his not-brother’s figure as he arrived in the room once again. He had moved to stand from his cross-legged position at his entrance to the cell, not wishing to satisfy Thor with him gazing up at him for the duration of the impending conversation, but paused when he sunk to the floor as well. Standing would allow him the pleasure of looking down upon him instead, but he decided to stay where he was until Thor angered him again.

They sat across from each other, each with their back against the clear curved walls, and Loki was glad of the space. He had no desire to be closer to his not-brother. He rose an eyebrow at his appearance, for though smiling Thor had faint tear tracks on his cheeks. And remained silent. “What do you want now? And what in Hel’s name causes you to cry before you enter here?”

Thor gave a shrug and answered, “Thoughts of you, us – I am saddened by the distance between us now, when we were so close as children. And I am saddened by the pain you felt that forced you in your actions back in Asgard, and these past few days. And I am saddened by the punishment I fear will result for you, which will bring you more pain.

“Why, brother? Please, tell me why you did this…”

Loki glared, choosing not to answer his not-brother’s begged question. “You shed tears for such pitiful reasons – you should have been born a helpless maiden of Midgard. And you are delusional if you believe we were close as children.”

“But we were, of course we were,” Thor said, flummoxed. “We played together, trained and fought together, sat and shared our fears and dreams-”

“Perhaps being dragged along to make sure you didn’t kill yourself and the other warriors with a foolish quest, that has persisted – the rest you are remembering from centuries ago.”

“Fighting is the way we play, now,” Thor countered with a grin. “And you always got us out of trouble – you got us INTO a fair bit as well-” he cut himself off with a guffaw before continuing, “-but you always had a way out.”

Loki snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, stating derisively, “I’m sure you would have died hundreds of times if I’d not been there.”

“I agree,” he responded sincerely.

Loki frowned as he noted Thor’s smile and how he stared at him with fondness, reminding, “We are not brothers, Thor.”

“I will always think of you as mine, Loki,” he replied instantly. “The fact that we do not share blood does not alter my view of the millennia we shared.”

“It does not skew my perception, if that is what you’re implying,” Loki sneered. “It simply provides some reasoning-”

“But it doesn’t! You know of the Frost Giants just as I do – they have an affinity for ice, not the broad study of magic that you pursue! Your interests and character are your own, they aren’t determined by blood,” Thor entreated. “It doesn’t matter the skin you wear – when you shift into the animals or disguises that you do, do you take on the stereotype’s thoughts and actions? Or course not, that is ludicrous!

“When you first began learning to shift into other beings, you confided to me that you were frightened – that you feared their instincts would overcome your mind and you’d be trapped without knowledge that you were once the being that is Loki. And so I stayed with you, and when you shifted into a wolf and then back again you were so glad and relieved, for you likened it to changing the colour of your hair or any other thing superficial. That it was just a skin to use, that you could comply with the instincts provided or hold them at bay as you wished. And I was happy for you, but also for your skills in magic so that you would not be lost to another creature’s mentality-”

“This is from eons ago and it’s not the same thing!” Loki shouted. “Animals are predictable and possess simpler minds – but it’s not the same! This isn’t an outer layer to hide behind, this is as if I was to wear my organs on the outside – this is my character and thoughts revealed!”

“I understand that you’re not one to show your secrets or share aspects of yourself, but why do you hate it so much?”

“Because I am Jӧtunn, you imbecile!” he screamed, darting forwards to snarl before his not-brother’s face, embracing the chill that rested alongside his magical core. The shown skin of his face and hands abruptly deepened to sapphire and intricate grooves carved over the panes of his forehead, cheeks, chin, and the palms of his hands. His irises and whites of his eyes darkened to crimson as he growled, “It’s not the same – I am not merely the outcast, but the enemy of the Ӕsir!”

“That is because of your actions, not this,” Thor explained, holding him firmly by the shoulders. He did not flinch at the decrease in temperature, though his brother did at the unexpected contact. “I can recognize the shape of your face, your thoughts through your eyes. Whenever you have confided in me it has added to my knowledge of you, but I have never, and will never, judge you for who you are. And it has never mattered to me what shape you take.”

Loki tore himself from his hold and allowed his true visage to fade, but did not return to his side of the cell. He shifted from his knees to sit before him with them drawn loosely to his chest, his head hung as he softly asked, “Why did you come here today? You did not prompt any conversation.”

“Just to sit with you – I longed for your company,” Thor confessed.

He sneered but remained where he was.

* * *

Agent Coulson shut the door that the others had left through and moved to the seat beside Natasha, her and Clint spinning and adjusting their chairs so that they were facing him and formed a triangular formation. “Are either of you capable of speaking with Loki without letting your emotions take away from the objective?”

“He killed you,” Natasha stated plainly.

“Your death pulled them together – I had been told about you practically right before we started this thing,” Clint pointed to the wall they had been using as a display behind him, “and hadn’t accepted it before you were suddenly alive again, but I’ve my own issues with him.”

“We’re the best you’ve got for this though, so let’s see if one of us can work,” she concluded. “I would volunteer – my own emotions are rarely an issue when I’m in an interrogation – but after our conversation before he might not respond as well to me as he would a former minion.”

Clint glared at her term but nodded. Winning the battle over Loki had helped him with his feelings regarding being mind-controlled, though he did not want to know how she saw that it was alright at this time to mock him. What she observed was probably better off staying with her. “With the questions we’re asking I would be the better choice, and I’m sure he’d get a kick out of watching me forced to play nice.”

“Yes, he’d definitely be more willing to divulge personal information to you than me, who he may enjoy bantering with but would always watch for my ability to get answers out of him. He’d rather control the release of information.”

“Can you play nice, Clint?” Coulson asked.

He paused before answering, “Yeah, probably.”


	12. Accord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, in knowing Loki's past, they begin to wonder at the motivation for his most recent actions, and who else was involved in directing the Chitauri army.

Tony had moved to ensconce himself in the room Pepper had chosen as her own, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the members of his team. He had cleared all evidence of tears from his face, though his eyes remained red-rimmed as he paced the length of the carpeted floor. 

_I shouldn’t be reacting this strongly – I mean, I saw it coming. I knew he was going to let go as soon as Odin (the son of a bitch who obviously never should have had children) opened his mouth. And still I’m crying – goddamned team and SHIELD are all going to think I’ve got a heart or something now._

_But it’s not like I care – it just strikes a cord. I have a boatload of daddy issues and I didn’t try and kill anybody. Anyone close to me, anyways. I only actively hunted down the Ten Rings that held me captive – that’s different. Obviously._

_I’m allowed to react, anyways. For all intents and purposes he tried to commit suicide. The Bifrost had been severed from the Rainbow Bridge – the portal couldn’t have been stable. We may not know exactly what the conditions degenerated into (and he might not’ve known, either) but he must’ve known that it was unstable. At the very least he was actively harming himself._

_So I’m allowed to react to that. I signed up to help people, save people from injustice and harm – so watching him hurting himself puts him in the category of ‘innocents to rescue’ automatically. Even though I know he tried to take over the world – like, yesterday – it’s one of those subconscious things-_

“Are you alright, Tony?” Pepper asked, having entered the room while he was preoccupied with his thoughts.

“Ugh, no,” he answered tersely before heaving a sigh and lowering himself to sit on the edge of the made-up queen mattress. “I just-” he raked a hand through his hair as she came to sit alongside him, her hands grasping one of his own as she settled herself. She laid it upon her lap as she idly stroked the scarred, tan skin of the back of his hand, and he continued softly, “I don’t know what to do. I can’t help seeing him as the victim – fucking suicide stint convinced me.” He shook his head with a self-depreciating smile at the knowledge that he was compromised.

Pepper nodded, confessing quietly, “I think that we’ll regret it if we don’t at least try to help him.”

He sighed again. “Yeah.”

They sat in silence as they continued to absorb the scene that they had just witnessed, and imagined how they would go about conveying to Loki their new position.

“What do you think SHIELD will do with this information?” Pepper asked curiously.

Tony snorted and replied, “No doubt they’ll look at the benefits of using him for his magic. At least it’ll let us get closer to him – even if it is through researching his abilities. He’d accept that over any sympathy we’d show.”

“You have to talk to the others about this – find out their stances,” she revealed.

“I know, I know,” he said dismissively. “That won’t be a problem – Thor’s already in favour, and I’m sure Steve and Bruce will be easy to convince. It’s getting Clint and Natasha to not ruin anything – and, of course, getting Loki to cooperate – that’ll be hard.”

* * *

Steve had separated from Bruce more out of shame than any other emotion. He was their Captain, and – though newly appointed and not fully accepted yet – he had a stance to uphold and impression to make. Loki was their enemy, and having shed tears at his attempted suicide was displaying to his team and the agents present that he was affected. Most had cried at the scene, but was he permitted that luxury?

They had to have a firm position on where they stood with Loki. Therefore, he needed to decide what his stance was – and he needed to figure it out on his own. He thought it beneficial that his teammates had all separated; they could come together afterwards and debate the issue, bringing to the table the firm opinions they had formulated. 

Should they give Loki a chance? But a chance for what – to repair the damage that he had caused? Or just to heal, then have him seek redemption on his own? What should their priority be? Punishment for his crimes against Earth? Or his mental wellbeing – allowing him to return to the intelligent, playful scholar that Thor had tried to convince them he had known? 

He wanted to force the second – but was it worth the risk? What if Loki was beyond redemption, truthfully desired the path he was on? Should they risk the lives of innocents because they had been compromised by the similarities drawn between his past and theirs? 

And yet, was Loki even their enemy? They had no information about what he experienced when he fell through the portal – even Steve knew that had to have been dangerous. And they suspected that another individual initiated the attack. That someone supplied the army and gave Loki the power of the spear, using him as a figurehead. Was he manipulated into the whole thing? Still distraught over the events they had all watched and seeking any way to prove himself?

He wanted to speak to him – get a feel for his thoughts. He felt that it was right to give him a chance. Though he needed to talk to Director Fury about what the possible options were, regarding Loki.

With that decisive thought, Steve spun on his heel and strode determinedly to the area of the bridge. He had been meandering through the halls of the Helicarrier while he reflected, and upon emerging from his thoughts with a purpose in mind realized that he was heading in the wrong direction. He would check the room they had all occupied first, then, if Fury was not there, he would check the bridge. 

Steve came to the room within minutes, but found it bare. He furrowed his brow and shook his head fleetingly before turning to the tarmac of the bridge. Director Fury was speaking with Agent Coulson to one side of the room. They finished their conversation before he was within earshot, and turned to him as he approached.

“Sir, I was wondering what actions were being considered for dealing with Loki,” Steve stated plainly, standing tall and at attention before Fury.

“Agent Barton has been assigned to confirming a higher power at work,” Coulson explained. “Also, if he can, the conditions that Loki met the Chitauri under.”

“Banner and Stark are also going to question him about his magic,” Fury continued. “His punishment will reflect the information we get and how cooperative he is. Until that time, all action is strictly containment and questioning.”

“Thank you for enlightening me, sir,” he nodded.

* * *

Bruce had quickly hid himself in the room that he had taken previously, when Loki’s actions at the revelation of his adoption had forced them to separate. He sunk to the floor and into a meditative state, steadily breathing in and out.

Again Loki had unbalanced them all – this time to the extent of their sympathy. How were they supposed to see him as their enemy when they had watched him try and kill himself? He wondered if it was not in reality Loki who had sent them the disc; but Tony had been right, Loki was not the type to share anything personal willingly. Even if he had anticipated how it would compromise them, Bruce doubted that he would see it as outweighing the humiliation of having them watch his degeneration. 

Even if Loki did not acknowledge it as such, he had cried several times – which would no doubt be embarrassing.

Anyways, what was SHIELD going to do with him? It seemed as though they were going to forgo punishing him (for now) in the interest of learning about his magic. Was he in favour of that?

Yes, because he had wanted nothing to do with this whole thing and did not particularly hold a grudge against Loki, and thought, if given the time and prompting, he could regain his reason. And he would not miss the chance to study magic for anything. He was also worried that SHIELD would treat him, well, unfairly.

If Loki chose to cooperate – which, he believed he would so to remain here for whatever reason he was choosing to – then they should treat him as a volunteer to answer their inquiries. Bruce had no doubt that some of the scientists might become overzealous in the process of their testing, and that SHIELD would not restrain them from harming the subject of their investigation. And no matter what he has done he did not believe it right to dissect Loki, disregarding standard medical procedure and consideration of basic human rights.

And he did not care that technically Loki was an alien. If brought to court he was sure he could be legally judged as some creature instead of human, with the levels of gamma radiation that saturated his cells. In fact, most of their group was modified in a way that a good lawyer could deem inhuman or alien. So if Fury guaranteed that they would not be treated as less than human when they were helped by the medical agents on board, then he had to agree to treat Loki as the same – villain or no – if he obliged to any testing.

_I’m not sure how much weight my opinions have, though,_ Bruce thought as he stood and hesitantly exited the room. _What they choose to do with Loki is Fury’s call – who am I to enforce conditions? I’m not even sure the Avengers will have any sway in what happens, nevermind their thoughts on what to do with Loki or my place among them._

As he rounded the corner into the hall with the room they had separated from, he observed Tony and Pepper returning as well.

“Hey, Bruce,” Tony greeted at the sight of him. “Where’d you head off to?”

“Oh,” he started as Tony went to open the door for him and they found the room empty, “I just needed some quiet time to think about everything. Everyone seemed to separate – looks like no one’s back yet.”

“Well, I’m calling a team meeting,” he announced, shutting the door and heading to the bridge. “We need to talk about Loki.”

“You should have the oppourtunity to sit down together in a peaceful environment anyways,” Pepper added as she walked beside Tony, “since you have all just met each other. But I suppose, with Loki being the topic, your conversation will be sensitive enough and might initiate some bonding anyways.”

“It’s not that kind of talk, Pep,” he countered. “We’re gathering to chat about what to do with him – setting up a game plan. It’s not to talk about our feelings.”

Bruce chuckled at their interaction as he followed them, declaring, “I agree with you. We need everyone to come together and explain their stances-”

“Oh, look! Cap’s already here,” Tony interrupted as they traversed the bridge. Steve turned at the sound of the moniker and the three moved to where he was standing with Fury and Coulson in a corner of the lower deck. 

“Stark, Dr. Banner, Miss Potts,” Steve met.

“Please, call me Pepper,” she gushed.

“And seriously, old man, we saved the world together – we’re going with first names, nicknames, or insults,” Tony smirked. Bruce rolled his eyes but smiled, nodding in agreement. 

“Well, it’s great that you’re all on friendly terms now,” Fury interjected, “but I think we need Thor and Agent Romanov up here as well before we start.” He conveyed the orders through his earpiece as he marched into the surveillance room and forced the agents to temporarily relocate to a section of the bridge, so they could monitor Loki’s cell unaccompanied.

“Start what?” Tony asked abrasively after trading a goodbye with Pepper.

“They’re having Hawkeye question Loki about the Chitauri and if he had a superior,” Steve answered. “Aside from that and having you and Dr. B- …Bruce figure out his magic, their only focus is containment right now.” He directed a pointed glace towards Tony, who met his eyes for a moment, before they turned their attention to where Thor was exiting the room on-screen at the summons of one of the guards.

Tony understood that they were going to assemble as soon as they had the time and privacy so to discuss the whole situation. They would need to understand one another’s points of view and unite in order to take any action, if any was needed.

* * *

“You can face him,” Natasha reassured, staring at Clint with an unyielding gaze. He breathed out heavily and focused on her words, absorbing them as truth. “He doesn’t have any power over you-” _I know that – Thor told me that that voodoo, mind-controlling magic was unique to the Tesseract. Loki can’t take away my will like that again. He was even choosing to chill in their little cage, so wasn’t feeling that aggressive right now._ “-and this will show you that.

“You’re going in there as one of the top agents of SHIELD and you’re going to get the answers to our questions.” He nodded and allowed a small smile for her speech, explaining without words that he knew that she knew he needed this to move on, and that she was not forcing it on him.

They moved down distinct hallways, Natasha heading to the surveillance room after having being notified of the team’s location by Director Fury earlier. She encountered Thor at the door, and after her ears had been assaulted by an enthusiastic ‘Lady Natasha!’ she led him through.

“Do you know what it is that the Director needs of me?” he asked.

“He wants us all to watch Clint’s interaction with Loki firsthand,” she answered.

“Clinton is going to speak with him? Why?” he asked in puzzlement as they entered the sectioned-off security room.

“We’re going to see how helpful Loki is in answering our questions,” Coulson replied.

“Do you think he’s going to share anything with us?” Steve inquired.

“I’m not sure… He allowed me to sit with him, which I take as a hopeful sign that this madness is abating, but as I do not know the nature of the answers to your questions… They may seem too personal for him to divulge. Though I think Friend Clint is an apt choice for this – it will allow my brother to feel comfortable in his control of the conversation.” Fury nodded in appreciation of Agent Coulson’s decision as well. “Does Clint find this assignment agreeable? My brother has wronged him.”

“He said he could do it,” Natasha asserted. “He needs to face him.”

All conversation ceased when Clint entered the room seen through the monitors.

* * *

“Well, well, well, what is in the water in this place?” Loki wondered rhetorically at the sight of Clint. “I had thought something was amiss when the beast visited and was cordial, but now I assume some part of your food must have been drugged for you to come here willingly.”

“Who says it’s willingly?” Clint could not resist retorting, dismissing the guards to their new stations outside the doors of the room. The information that might result from this interrogation was deemed too sensitive for their clearance levels. 

“Fledgling, don’t be daft – I can tell from your walk,” Loki answered, smirking mockingly from where he stood in the center of the glass enclosure.

“Did I mention you look good in chains?”

“Oh, you think so? You didn’t mention that you had a bondage kink.”

Clint grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists at the reminder that Loki had made him tell him everything, about himself and his team, before breathing out and merely glaring squarely at the god across from him. Loki continued to smirk at the ire shown.

“I’m here to ask you some questions.”

“I rather thought it wasn’t a social visit.”

“How’d you meet the Chitauri?” he asked directly.

“If we’re going to be going over such vital information, why don’t you join me in here?” Loki posed innocently.

Clint narrowed his eyes and remarked, “There’d be no point to that.”

“I might be more willing to speak if there was the illusion of comrades present instead of interrogator and villain,” he pointed out teasingly.

He inhaled deeply before breathing out heavily through his nose at the order to comply from Fury that emitted through his earpiece. “You’re aware that they added those blasters to the corners of the room,” Clint said as he stepped closer, pointing to the various corners of the ceiling above them, “you know, the ones that mimic The Destroyer’s beam? I heard you were knocked on your ass by one the other day.”

Loki turned to gaze up at all the nozzles that suddenly revealed themselves in the upper corners, and hummed in interest. “Don’t worry yourself, Clinton,” he stated as he returned his attention to the archer who was entering passcodes into the outer console, “I’m fully aware of the conditions upon which I may remain here.”

“While we’re on that,” he started as he warily entered the fortified cell, balanced on his feet for any attempt at escape, “why are you so accepting of all this?” His muscles remained tensed even when the glass had slid shut behind him.

“Why do you think?”

“You need us for something.”

“Yes.”

“-but what? You don’t think you can kill us all from in here – with an army you couldn’t.”

“Perhaps my use for you isn’t so antagonistic.”

Clint raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t believe you.”

Loki chuckled lowly and allowed a half-smile, confessing, “People rarely do.”

He narrowed his eyes but dropped his arms to his sides, the fingers of his left tapping a couple beats on his thigh before he consciously halted the tell and repeated, “How’d you meet the Chitauri?”

Loki tilted his head slightly and noted the loss of aggression, choosing to answer, “I fell to their world last year.”

“And were they already planning on attacking us?”

“Yes.”

“So you were forced to lead them, then?”

“Of course not,” he retorted immediately. “I agreed with their goal.”

“-of what? What was the point of taking over Earth?”

“It seemed fitting to put you mortals in your place,” Loki explained. “An inadequate species should be governed by those more powerful.”

“The Chitauri are powerful? Please – they were dying quicker than flies,” Clint said. “No, there was something – someone – else. Someone stronger than you that forced you to play along.”

“Must I repeat that I was not ‘forced’ into anything?” he growled, looming over him.

“Then why were you injured?” Clint interrogated, stepping closer at the intensity of the confrontation so that he had to crane his neck back in order to meet Loki’s eyes and speak to him directly. “It took a while to clear up, but I remember everything from when I was under your control. And you were weak and unsteady the whole time – and this was how many months after your fall? So you can’t blame it on that.”

Loki glared down at him and took a step back, starting condescendingly, “You cannot begin to comprehend the power required to traverse the realms, or that of controlling the Tesseract-”

“Bullshit,” Clint swore, stepping forward again heatedly. “I may know squat about magic, but I’m calling bullshit. You were weak when you fell from that bridge a year ago, landed on their planet, and were tortured or hurt or just kept weakened by this person until you were forced into being the leader of the invasion while they watched.

“And that’s why you’re dealing with all this – to stay here,” he realized, finishing, “You’re using us as protection,” as Loki instantly vaporized the chain binding his wrists. He turned to dart out of the cage but Loki yanked him to him by the back of his collar and held his back to his chest, the strength winding him.

His one arm held firm across Clint’s torso, above his waist, steadily bruising his lower ribs and pinning his dominant arm to his side, while his right hand came up and encircled his neck in warning. “If you move I will tear out your throat,” Loki promised as he stared at the camera in the corner.

“Director,” he called through Clint’s earpiece, “I’d like to have a word with you.”

At his violent move towards Clint the machines in the corners fixed his form with their nozzles, but were remotely prevented from further action at his hold on the archer. Fury and Coulson had hurriedly barked orders to the bridge to fortify the security of the lower levels as the members of the Avengers ran down to aid their teammate. At Loki’s request for negotiation, Fury snapped for Agent Hill to accompany them as he, Agent Coulson, and several additional armed agents moved to traverse the halls down to the cell.

The two guards that had been stationed outside entered at the alarm and aimed their weapons as Clint muttered, “Mistake – Tasha’s been gunning for a reason to kick your ass.”

“Hush, pet,” Loki commanded softly, “I have to navigate the danger you’ve left me in.” He tightened his grip on Clint’s neck to prevent the incensed response bound to escape at the possessive title.

“Brother, this is winning you no favours,” Thor implored as he entered, his teammates behind him.

“I don’t expect you to know anything of precarious negotiations,” he shot towards his not-brother. “You cannot blame me my reaction when you look at the position I’m put in.”

Fury entered and stood with Hill and Coulson as his agents spread out to cover Loki from all angles with their firearms. “I assume you want to guarantee our protection?”

“Yes. Clint is correct,” Loki admitted, “The Other will be displeased at my failure and seek to capture and punish me.

“I realize the life of one agent isn’t enough to guarantee this, no matter how skilled, and I’m sure you know that no matter the array of weapons fixed on me I could kill quite a few of you and escape if I wished. So why don’t we discuss this issue in an atmosphere filled with less hostility?”

Fury internally debated the offer for a few moments before nodding, signalling for his agents to stand down. At the motion, Agent Hill protested, “Sir-”

“We have something he wants – he’ll be good,” he stated confidently, and Loki smiled. “Why don’t we talk this over in a room more designed for these things?”

“That’d be preferable,” Loki nodded, and Fury opened the glass enclosure for him to exit. “With the group you have at your disposal you won’t begrudge me my hostage, I’m sure?”

“Not at all,” he dismissed.

Clint glared at him, vowing, “I’ll put an arrow through your eye too.”

“That’d be hilarious,” Tony remarked, moving to stand at Loki’s side so to be nearer Clint for moral support. “Let’s see you try and fly this ship blind.”

Fury ignored their jabs and led the entourage out of the room and down the hall, ushering only the Avengers and his top two agents in for defense. The remaining agents were assigned to stations in the halls surrounding the room, regardless of whether there was an exit into them or not. Loki may choose to create his own by demolishing a wall.

The room was furnished with a dark conference table and the appropriate number of chairs, Director Fury seating himself at one head of the table while Loki took the other. Thor and Natasha elected to stand while the others sat, Agents Coulson and Hill sitting on either side of their superior while Loki forced Clint to take the chair he had dragged beside him.

“You’ve been made aware of my position,” Loki began, “and seem willing to provide. What do you want from me in exchange?”

“For one, further information on the threat we’re protecting you from and the expectation that you will fight with us if a confrontation arises,” Fury dictated. “If you expect us to be a buffer while you run off, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“I will fight alongside you if you agree to offer me sanctuary from the retribution of Asgard as well,” Loki posed. “Using you as a distraction while I secrete myself away somewhere within the Nine protects me from the Other and the Ӕsir, but standing to aid you will call attention to my place and Heimdall will alert the Allfather to my whereabouts.”

“Father does not seek any damage done to you,” Thor protested.

Loki rolled his eyes in exasperation and folded his hands atop the surface of the table, arguing, “No matter the justification, my utilization of the Bifrost last year and my actions upon Midgard call for the interference of our laws. I am still under Asgard’s jurisdiction.”

“You’re offering us interesting information,” Fury interjected. “What makes you so sure that we won’t choose to hand you over for Asgard to deal with?”

“The only reason you would consider entering into an agreement with me would be that you desire something,” Loki answered bluntly. “What is it?”

“Your magic.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What of it? It’s not as though you have the technology to take it from me or to accurately analyze it yet.”

“We’re hoping for your cooperation in helping us to understand it,” Fury clarified. 

“An intriguing interest,” he mused. “And what of the consequences to my actions these past few days?”

“I can’t promise anything, but it might be possible for us to disregard your crimes against Earth under the condition that you fully submit yourself to scientific enquiry and testing for your magic, and you agree not to harm anyone.”

“You have others to confer with.”

“Yes,” Fury confirmed. “I can tell them your demands and let them weigh your cooperation in explaining your magic against it. If you swear not to harm anyone in the meantime, you can be given a more… comfortable room.”

It had been mentioned in passing by Thor that an oath is binding for many of the species throughout the realms, due to the strong connection to their world and therefore its magicks. That was what made the people of Earth such a foreign concept, for their words held no assured weight and this was forgotten by others. Humans were able to do much damage to the other members of the realms simply by speaking and having others take them at their word. They would be distrusted and disliked if not for their limited physical strength and misunderstood lifestyle.

Those not attentive to their advances would be greatly disarmed by all that mankind can perform presently. For humans advance quicker than the other realms in terms of technology and their utilization of resources, because their short lifespans urge them to complete tasks so to compete for admiration within their society. And this has to be done in a matter of decades because their strength wanes as they age. This pressure is not present in the other realms because of their lengthy lifespans – therefore their goals can be completed at their leisure for their strength does not wane. In the Ӕsir, elves, dwarves, and many creatures that were magically tied to their realms their bodies and powers strengthened as they aged over the centuries. 

This was why Loki, strong in magic as he was, was so dangerous and was generally disliked. For though forced to keep his vows, he had honed his ability to word the truth in such a manner that mimicked the humans’ carelessness of honesty. He was called the Liesmith because of his half-truths and word selection that forced his audience to interpret his message in a certain way and so to manipulate their subsequent actions.

So Fury kept Loki’s various titles in mind as they worked out the basis of their agreement, the one that he would take to the Council.

Loki nodded and solemnly intoned, “I swear not to irreparably harm any being upon this vessel until you return with an update on our impending ceasefire, upon which the conditions of my stay here will be adjusted accordingly.”

His lips twisted up at the corners as he suggested, “Shouldn’t you be more specific in what you can’t do to my agents? ‘Irreparably harm’ leaves a lot of harassment open to you.”

“Ah, but anything that further limits my interactions with them may prevent me from defending myself if they choose to attack me.”

“There are cameras everywhere,” Fury started. “If you do any damage unprovoked or the extent of which is unjustified, then the deal’s off.”

“Of course.”

“Fine then.” 

Thor grinned and threw his hands in the air, exclaiming, “Brother, this is wonderful!”

He spared him a glance and a frown before returning his gaze to the director as he stood, saying, “I’m sure your agents would feel more comfortable if I were isolated in my room.”

“How considerate of you,” Fury retorted as he moved to his feet as well. “Agent Coulson will lead you there.”


	13. Aims

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In knowing Loki's reasons for lingering on the Helicarrier, the Avengers discuss their eventual plans for him while continuing to wonder who else was involved in directing the Chitauri army.

The two exited; Agent Coulson led though Loki walked at his side, having shortened his longer stride so to not overtake his lead. “I’m eager to see the results of your stay here if our negotiations are successful,” Coulson offered diplomatically.

“Yes, it will definitely be something that your kind hasn’t experienced in many centuries if the agreement is accepted and you become familiar with my magic,” Loki nodded.

“‘Experienced in many centuries’?” he quoted with a glance. 

“Of course,” he replied. “Not only am I speaking of the Ӕsir’s interactions with those of the North, those that have come to worship us, but also the many beings of the Nine Realms that have found their way onto Midgard. With disguise or without, their influence makes an impact on your array of societies.”

Coulson’s face was impassive at the information, but Loki had always needed to be aware of and be able to predict the unspoken emotions of others for his machinations. He continued at the evident desire for clarification. “The elves, dwarves, and Vanir have travelled here to explore and investigate many times – though the various locations and length of time between visits makes the fact of them discerned from fiction rare. All of your fantasy has a source of origin, and, though skewed and warped, descriptions of magic have been shared by the generations that have witnessed it. It is why you have words for things that aren’t commonplace here.”

“So the words that we have – elf, dwarf, magic – are due to humans seeing these things and assigning tags so they could talk about them,” Coulson surmised.

“Yes. It is why you used to be obsessed with tales of stocky bearded men with a penchant for gems, fair-haired beings that flit about in woods, or ragged hags and wizened warlocks and their craft. All ridiculous stereotypes that don’t capture their characters at all, naturally, but nonetheless-” Loki elegantly shrugged at how the races were thought of by mortals, accepting of the flaws of speech. With no repeated sightings of the same type of being within a couple of generations, it was expected for the rare witness’s account to become distorted with each retelling until it was unrecognizable from its origin.

“It actually spawned quite the range of creatures that are commonly referred to in the fantasy realm nowadays,” Loki mused.

“Not all the things we have names for exist on other planets then?” Coulson asked.

“Of course not – your imagination simply ran away with you without any evidence to work with.”

He received a curt nod of understanding and they walked in silence for another hallway before Loki spoke again. “I thought I had killed you.”

“You didn’t quite manage it,” Coulson replied with a hint of a smile about his lips.

“I can see that,” he wryly retorted. “Is the medical care aboard this vessel advanced or is it the standard for the majority on this planet?” he asked curiously.

“That information’s classified.”

Loki raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, musing, “You believe this to be an answer of vitality? It is easy enough to gain without your input – and the adequacy of your medical care doesn’t particularly limit the many ways I am able to kill you.”

Coulson was provided an excuse not to surrender an answer by their arrival at an electronic door. He had to enter a series of numbers and fingerprint before the heavy metal slab slid to the side. At Loki’s amused expression he said, “It’s not for you. We’re taking precautions so that our agents can’t seek you out in private.”

“I’m under oath,” he reminded with a smirk.

“I’m sure Stark’s already taking bets on how long it’ll take before you react to something that you talk your way out of. This-” he gestured to the security on the door, “-is hopefully to keep the agents from endangering themselves, and myself from some paperwork.”

Loki chuckled and strode into the small suite, the door shutting with a click behind him.

* * *

“That ended great, considering – you know, everything,” Tony chimed with a smirk, reclining back in his chair.

Clint emitted a feral growl from deep in his chest at the comment, saying gruffly, “Glad I could be of use as a fucking hostage.”

Fury narrowed his eyes at him and snapped, “Accept the situation, Barton. This could advance our tech by decades – do not screw it up.”

“Yes, sir,” he answered grudgingly as Fury exited with Agent Hill, to argue with the Council and to inform the agents on the Helicarrier of Loki’s new status, respectively. 

With only the Avengers remaining in the room, Steve cleared his throat and declared, “We need to discuss the situation.” Thor and Natasha seated themselves as heads were nodded around the table.

“If he’s under our protection then he isn’t going to hurt anyone here, and isn’t anywhere else destroying things,” Bruce began.

“Yes,” Thor agreed. “Having you and Anthony speaking with him about his magic is something that is favourable to us as well – I’m sure that my brother is just as interested in sharing the workings of it as you are in learning them.” 

“We don’t have a choice in his staying here – we just have to be civil,” Natasha said, abruptly cutting off their lingering around the contract the Council had to approve. She held Clint’s gaze during her recommendation, and he looked away first, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What I want your opinions on is our plan for Loki in the long run,” Steve stated outright. “I know we were all affected by what we saw of his past, so we need to be straightforward about what we want to do with him.”

There were several seconds of silence while they reflected on the thoughts they had had after the more emotional scenes of Loki’s past, each hesitating to be the first to admit to their honest position on the matter. Finally Thor spoke up. “I wish for my brother to seek redemption.

“I believe that he was so distraught by the news of his adoption that it began a fit of madness while he was upon Asgard, and then when he fell… I don’t pretend to know what he experienced when he fell through the remains of that portal, but I don’t think it was good for him. I’m not excusing his actions here on Midgard, but I think with some peace and a stable environment here he may regain his reason and come to see the error of his ways.”

“Yeah,” Tony echoed. “Obviously I don’t approve of the shit he did here, but falling through that wormhole messed him up – and, as Clint so helpfully gathered, someone made sure he was in pain after it all. Great case for an insanity plea.”

“We should also look at the scepter,” Bruce interjected. “Remember when it was here and we all got carried away when we were arguing? I think it heightened our anger. I mean, I’ve got a tight lid on mine, so after I had some time to think about it I found it odd how we were all so irrational in those moments.”

“Yes… I’m not usually that forward with my thoughts and opinions,” Natasha supported.

“It ended up less a talk and more just a direct attack on each other,” Steve said, a brief glance sent towards Tony at the remembrance of the biting insults they had traded.

Tony ignored the look he knew Steve had sent him, shoving the thoughts surrounding the insults sent and received to the back of his mind to deal with later – or not at all – in favour of the topic at hand. “And Loki was holding that thing the whole time – it’s no wonder he was so high strung.”

“Yeah – look at the chat we just had.” Clint inserted. “He had control of everything even when I figured it all out and he was at the mercy of SHIELD. He hasn’t really been angry while here – emotional, ‘cause of you,” he jerked his chin towards Thor, “but not pissed. Which is what I’d expect when someone fails in his conquering of the world.”

“So do we agree to find the answers to our questions, and just focus on Loki’s wellbeing, above any thought of punishment?” Steve questioned frankly. “Show of hands. And eyes on me so you don’t feel pressured into anything.”

Thor almost immediately raised his hand, followed by Bruce. Tony stared at Steve for a few seconds, trying to determine what his thoughts were, but his expression was merely patient while he awaited their hands. He carelessly raised his arm into the air. Natasha had wanted to read Clint’s stance before voting, but Steve’s latter order gave her pause. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, knowing that he had said it mainly for her. It had been clear since Loki had taken control of Clint that her loyalty to him was above even that of SHIELD. She didn’t have to obey, but she thought that if Clint believed Loki should be penalized before anything else he would vote that way. She raised her hand.

Clint could see that all of the hands were raised, aside from himself and Steve, from the end of the table where he sat. He was going to agree with them – he didn’t have a choice, really. Even if he wasn’t comfortable around Loki, who obviously got off on continuing to remind him of when he had control over him, he agreed with the points his team was making. And he’d rather they try to rehabilitate Loki than to have him running around killing people. Because if that disc had made anything clear, it was that Loki had a lot more knowledge and power than he’d showed them.

He gave a curt nod in acceptance of Steve’s proposal, making a note to himself to resolve his view of it all if he was going to be interacting with Loki regularly.

Steve allowed a small smile at their collective response and announced, “We all agree then.”

“Thank you, my friends!” Thor exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, throwing his hands around his closest teammate in celebration.

"Jeeze, big guy, don't go breaking my spine!" Tony yelped as he was hoisted from his chair.

Everyone departed from the room, each noticing the absence of guards that had been previous stationed in the halls as they separated from one another. Steve lingered just outside the door and motioned for Clint to remain as the others walked away, Natasha casting a discerning glace back towards them.

Once they were alone, Steve addressed, “Are you sure about this? I didn’t think you’d vote for it.”

“Majority was already cast.”

“-that doesn’t matter. If you’re not comfortable with this then I need to know.”

“Captain, look – I’m not going to get close to the bastard after what he did to me, but I’d rather have him here instead of out there slaughtering people. Whatever you guys want to do with him is fine, I’m not going to butt in,” Clint explained.

Steve cautiously nodded before voicing, “I hope you aren’t telling me this because of what I want for him.” It had been plain that Steve was glad of the outcome of their votes, after all.

“Nah,” he dismissed. “As long as you don’t force me to hang around him – like Fury – we’re fine.”

“I understand.” He clapped him on the shoulder and offered earnestly, “I’m not going to say I know what you’re going through, but if you need someone to talk to I’m here. None of what he made you do was your fault, and if he’s mocking you or anything then let me know and I’ll deal with it.”

Clint smirked and nodded, “I’m sure I can deal with him, but thanks.”

The two parted, a frown pulling down the corners of Clint’s mouth as he continued thinking, _I don’t need you all interrogating me right now – I haven’t had the time to go through everything that happened. Right as I came out of the Blue the memories were blurred, but they cleared up within a few hours. I can remember all that happened if I look back._

_I’d rather not remember, but I’ve got to stop blocking the memories so I know the level of anger I should be directing towards Him. Right now I’m just pissed off at the thought of what happened, and confused as hell. When I look back to those few days it’s all awash with Blue and His Approval and that fucking pisses me off because it’s hard to look at what He did to me without being biased._

_How the fuck do I separate the orders He forced me to follow that I should be angry at from the ones that I can shrug off for the sake of this truce? It’s all smothered in calm and His Support, even though I know I should loath Him for all He made me do my feelings during it obscure what I might have felt if my mind had been my own and I was forced by other means._

_I don’t know what thoughts are mine and what were changed by Him-_

“Barton.”

He was never so lost in thought that he became unaware of his surroundings, but he did not think one of the nameless agents he was passing was going to call out to him. He quirked a brow as he stood before them and asked ‘what?’ as he was jerked from his introspection.

One of the four sneered as another stepped closer so to look down at him as he asserted, “We’ll be watching you – we aren’t about to let our guards down again.”

“What?” he repeated with confusion.

“Your innocent act may fool those other stuck-up freaks,” the female agent began, “but we all know that you’ve turned against SHIELD.”

“-bet you’re loving having your god back-”

“-going to kill more of us.”

“If a single agent dies on this ship, we all know who to come after.”

“Are you done?” Clint enquired with narrowed eyes. “I don’t blame you for not believing in me being magically brainwashed, but it sorta irritates me that you fuckers think you know better than all those who do believe me. With who my team is made of as well as Fury, Hill, and Coulson taking me at my word, you’ve got to be a special kind of stupid to think you’re above them.

“Now get the fuck out of my way.”

They had evidently expected him to be cowed by their accusations, but he had Fury as a witness for when Loki touched him with his scepter and Natasha as one for when he was knocked out of it – the two most distrustful people that he knew and that he depended on for reliable information. If they said he was a victim then he would believe that the circumstances were out of his control.

He glared steadily up at the agent who had confronted him first and waited for the inevitable submission. The male grit his teeth and moved around him so to march past, his fellows following, and Clint continued through the halls of the Helicarrier with his sharp eyes shrewd.

His distancing back was watched with abhorrence by the small group that had slowed, one of them assuring, “One move – if anything’s suspect – we’ll make him pay.”

“That would be ill-advised.”

They all turned to the unfamiliar voice and flinched at the sight of Loki leaning casually against the wall a couple feet from them. His eyes glinted in the fluorescent lighting as the female gathered herself and started, “Protecting your minion?”

“Should lose your arrogance,” another said, “you just lost a war and are only welcome here if you don’t attack anyone.”

“The exact term was ‘irreparably harm,’ actually,” Loki corrected, shifting his weight off the wall in order to draw closer. He towered over them as they had earlier over Clint’s stature and stated clearly, “But if you approach him again those conditions will not stop me from tearing you limb from limb.

“And even if this occurs after you injure or, by some miracle and collecting of another number of talentless worms such as yourselves, kill him, your eternal torture in the afterlife will be guaranteed by my daughter – who rules the realm of the dead. So be sure to keep away from what is mine.”

He disappeared in a smoky current of black and green magic before them, the wide-eyed agents petrified with fear where they stood.

* * *

“After so insolently going against our orders in regards to the Avengers’ Initiative and the missile we decided to send into the city, you propose that the war criminal Loki remain unpunished for his attack against Earth?”

The accusation emitted from the speakers imbedded in the surface surrounding a tall screen, one of four projected onto a wall, a woman’s figure deeply shadowed and unrecognizable on display. One of her colleagues warned jeeringly, “He’s not a pet, Director.”

“I’m aware that he’s dangerous and shouldn’t walk away from this with any profit,” Fury defended, “however, it’s obvious he wasn’t at the top of the food chain. We have a bigger threat to worry about, and he’s the only one with information.”

“I think you and your team have been swayed by the showing of his past,” one of the shadowed old men declared. “Now you think him blameless.”

“I’m not justifying his actions, I’m just saying that considering the information he can provide us, in this and the magic of the realms, we should give him what he wants so he’ll cooperate. Keep him under observation instead of locking him and his knowledge away.”

“Yet you confessed that the limits of his powers are not known, and that he can escape whenever he wishes.”

“That’s right,” Fury admitted. “And you should keep that in mind. I’d personally rather have him on our side than any other. If we foster some goodwill and enforce some bonds between him and some of us he would add tremendous power to our defense – which is currently the Avengers.”

* * *

“Hey,” Tony greeted as he entered the bedroom he now thought of as his and Pepper’s, Bruce trailing behind scolding, ‘At least knock first, Tony.’

She smiled at them in the soft light of the laptop screen situated on the bed in front of her, asking as she lifted the computer as Tony leapt onto the mattress, “What happened? Agent Hill came on the speakers to announce that they were negotiating a truce with Loki – that he would be around until the terms were settled and couldn’t kill anyone.”

Bruce allowed a sigh of exasperation at Tony’s stunt and the resulting bounce that jostled Pepper’s balance of the laptop as he cast his eyes around the room for a chair. Tony smirked at Pepper’s reprimanding glare and chuckled at Bruce’s deliberation of where to sit when a chair was not found. “Come on – up here,” he beckoned with a pat on the bed.

“I can sit on the fl-”

“Nope!” Tony leaned forward and grabbed his wrist, dragging him to sit cross-legged on the bed in front of him.

Bruce raised his eyebrows up to his hairline and proclaimed, “You are a child.”

Pepper nodded sincerely at the observation and grinned at Tony’s pout, arranging the computer on her lap once again as she stretched out her legs to cross them at the ankles. “So…?” she prompted, seeking an answer to her previous question.

“You left us when we were going in to watch Clint talk to Loki, right? Well, that went better than I expected, but not that well, really.”

At her confused expression, Bruce clarified, “Clint wasn’t hurt, but when he pieced together Loki’s relationship with the Chitauri Loki used him as a hostage so he could talk to Fury.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “He’s alright though?”

“Yep, was just pissed as hell for a while,” Tony said. “He found out that Loki was just the figurehead of the invasion and that there was someone else who arranged it all. So now, in exchange for protection against the Chitauri – who want him for failing – and the Asgardians – who want him for what he did last year – he’s willing to play nice and tell us all about his boss, and explain his magic.”

“That’s great,” she congratulated.

“We’ve also (we, being the team) decided on our priorities,” he continued. “We’re going to forget about punishment for the meantime and focus on his emotional and psychological wellbeing.”

“Wow, everyone agreed?” she questioned.

“Yep.”

Bruce furrowed his brow at her acceptance of their decision and concluded, “You already talked about helping him.”

Tony smirked and admitted cockily, “We’re ahead of the game – discussed it at halftime.”

Pepper nodded and confessed, “Once I heard that you were arranging a truce I started doing some research to see what the public perception of him was.”

“And?” Tony asked, taking the laptop from her.

“Well, word spread about that horrible spectacle he made in Germany, but I haven’t found anything about him leading the invasion. There must not have been many people that saw him there – too distracted by all the aliens – so they’re looking at them as unrelated events.”

“So as long as SHIELD doesn’t release the information-”

“-which they won’t as long as they’re trying to come to an agreement-” Tony inserted

“-we can be seen with Loki without too much public backlash,” Bruce finished.

Tony scrolled through the videos she had opened in various tabs, his brow furrowing. “There was a lot of damage…” Pepper nodded, the three lapsing into silence in respect for the number of dead not yet totalled and those whose businesses and livelihoods had been wrecked by the destruction.

“…we could mention to Fury that Loki’s magic could go a long way in helping fix all of this,” Bruce suggested.

“Yeah, that should definitely be a term of the thing,” Tony agreed as an alert abruptly flashed across the screen he was holding. “Well, looks like while Fury’s fighting with the Council we get to wrap up the movie we were watching!”

“Tony,” Pepper admonished. “In no way can someone’s past be called a ‘movie’.”

“If it’s on the big screen it can,” he countered as they rose to their feet.

* * *

The Avengers, Pepper, and Agent Coulson were once again marshalled in the conference room off the bridge, Agent Hill otherwise occupied. If anything of significance occurred in what they assumed was the final moments of the display then Coulson would be able to accurately report the details of it to the Director afterwards.

_Erik, Jane, and Darcy gazed up at the clearing sky in the fading light of sunset. Jane uttered breathlessly, “It’s gone,” as the clouds dispersed from where they had previously been gathered dark and tumulus._

_Darcy and Erik cast sympathetic looks towards her before they each turned their eyes down to the sand and began to make their way back to the truck. Jane’s disheartened stare wandered aimlessly over the ground as the dry wind tossed her hair, before she walked away from the Bifrost site as well._

Thor’s buoyant attitude over Loki’s cooperation dimmed considerably at the thought of having not been able to keep his promise to Jane yet.

Tony, having noticed this change, mumbled, “Should’ve saved this for another time – it’s just a downer now.”

_Above the streaks of drifting cloud there stretched an expanse of deep, dark space; it was endless and empty throughout the void before stars came to litter the region. Over a thick mist and ebbing waters, surrounded by colourful auroras and shining stars, the glimmering capital of Asgard sprawled._

_The Rainbow Bridge sparkled in the light of dusk as it ran through the city’s gilded structures and to the lofty golden palace. Inside one of its halls a number of the high-born were seated around a long table, garbed in flowing dress and conversing in the cheery tone of celebration._

_The many dining released a clamour of laughter suddenly; Volstagg resumed speaking, gesturing with a leg of meat in one hand and a ladened fork in the other, “-and then, with a mighty bellow, I flew into the mighty metal creature and laid him low.”_

_“Is that another way of saying you fell on your huge ass?” Fandral remarked, Lady Sif laughing from across the table as she placed a grape into her mouth._

_“As a matter of fact, falling was a tactic lulling the Destroyer…”_

_Thor smiled softly at Volstagg’s rendition of the battle, standing and circling around the room so to distance himself from the others. Sif’s smile fell when he passed behind her seat, her gaze becoming downcast at the thought of him not being able to enjoy their victory. He slowed by his mother who stood at the columns flanking the opening that led out into the open air and grasped her hand in his before continuing on._

_Frigga turned to watch him walk away, hands folded in front of her as she attempted to hide the extent of her concern. Sif approached and stood alongside her, saying sincerely as she turned to face her, “My Queen, I am so sorry for your loss.”_

_She rested a hand on her upper arm in thanks, and they both turned their attention to Thor’s distancing form as she asked, “How is he?”_

_“He mourns for his brother. And… he misses her – the mortal.”_

_Thor wearily climbed the few steps that led to the end of the unrestricted terrace, armour bright as his scarlet cape draped from his shoulders. He came to a halt behind his father, who stood gazing into the distance._

_“You’ll be a wise king,” the Allfather acknowledged without turning._

_“There will never be a wiser king than you,” he answered after a moment. “Or a better father.” Odin cast his eyes to the ground._

_“I have much to learn,” Thor admitted, “I know that now. Someday, perhaps, I will make you proud.”_

_Odin smiled and turned to face him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve already made me proud,” he stated earnestly. He patted his shoulder reassuringly and strode past._

“Aw,” Pepper cooed, her eyes tearing up.

_Thor walked to the broken edge of the bridge, the severity of the fracture lingering as a great scar evident in the jagged crystal shards that reached away without purpose. Heimdall stood at attention in his thick armour and with his halberd held solemnly in his hands, observing far-off scenes unseen to others. “So Earth is lost to us,” Thor deduced._

_“No,” he responded, turning his head briefly to note the prince’s arrival at his side, “there is always hope.”_

_“Can you see her?”_

_The Gatekeeper chuckled from above where the waters crashed over the border of the land, answering, “Yes.”_

_“How is she?”_

_“She searches for you.”_

_Thor smiled._


	14. Foundation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Director Fury discusses the possibility of an alliance with Loki with the WSC, the Avengers broach the topic of magic with the sorcerer.

“Hey, so how did you get here before – like, when Loki was terrorizing Stuttgart – if the bridge was broken?” Tony inquired across the table’s surface to Thor.

“The Allfather made use of the Odin Force.”

“…Is that like the Odin Sleep?”

“It is not the same.”

“I know that!” Tony retorted in vexation. “Why don’t you explain these mystical powers that only belong to your pops?”

Thor’s brow furrowed as he confessed, “I do not understand how anything is ‘popping’ in this-”

Steve explained, “‘Pops’ means father,” as Tony dramatically face-palmed and muttered, ‘You two will be the death of me.’

“Ah, of course,” Thor indulged with a grin. “My father is able to use the Odin Force – a term that is assigned to his powerful sorcery – to manipulate a great many things. Some regard energy – illusions, force fields – and others the lifeforce of others – teleportation, telepathic communication. The Spear of Heaven, Gungnir, can channel and amplify these powers, and, of course, there is also the wisdom and foresight that he was gifted with when he sacrificed his eye at Mirmir’s Well.”

“…This doesn’t make a lick of sense to me,” Tony said. “If he’s so powerful, then how come he didn’t know Loki was alive – or help us out, or anything?”

“My brother is very talented in the art of sorcery – without much significance in the ruling of Asgard he has had the time that my father has not to explore and expand his knowledge. I’m quite certain that the first aspect Loki perfected was how to remain unseen.

“As for my father’s actions… I have never professed to understand his ways. Perhaps he believed we could handle it? It’s not beneficial for one to always intervene in a young one’s life – it deters growth. Or maybe he knew of Loki’s unwillingness and chose not to strike against him?”

“All seem possible,” Natasha shrugged.

“If I didn’t know that Loki was adopted, and ignored his dark hair, I wouldn’t doubt that he was Odin’s son,” Pepper diverged. “Listening to the powerful magic they can both use…” She shrugged.

“Hold on,” Bruce interjected, “why was Loki singled out and abused for his magic when Odin was respected?”

“The Allfather is in command of the forces of the cosmos, and uses his skills in battle so to protect the people and maintain order – there is not one on Asgard who would criticize the methods he sees fit to use,” he tried to explain. “However, generally, men do not practice the use of seidr, what you call magic – it is seen as… a study more suited for females.”

He winced at the scathing glares directed towards him from Pepper and Natasha, and held his hands up in a placating gesture. “I don’t agree with it, but that is how it is seen.”

“You don’t see it that way?” Natasha deadpanned.

“No,” Thor protested vehemently. “Just as I don’t hold any doubt of Sif’s right or skill as a warrior, I don’t think my brother’s powers reflect upon him in any negative way. If there is a talent expressed then one should pursue it!”

“But you referred to his magic as ‘tricks’ and overlooked his contributions,” Steve challenged.

He sighed. “Yes, I did… It was easy to copy others’ opinions of him when he didn’t act as I would have in the same instance, or felt as though he’d done me wrong. But I spent more time with him than anyone else, and though not seeing the benefit of cunning compared to force in combat, his powers are abundant and awe inspiring. It pains me to think of the damage I must’ve inflicted upon him by not showing him I thought of his practice as such. Midgard has shown me the error of my ways.”

“So that’s all it was – he never used his powers maliciously?” Natasha interrogated.

“He was never mean-spirited… in the beginning,” Thor started. “Loki found much amusement in teasing others though, which only lessened any favour he had with the people.”

“I thought he fought with his magic too,” Clint mused.

“He did, but he was reluctant to venture out on quests unless at his own propositioning, so his use of it in the palace was more prominent and most remembered.”

“So he acted out against what you guys thought he should be, and it sunk to this?” Tony decided with a raised eyebrow. Thor lowered his gaze.

_“I have the particle detectors,” Erik announced as he moved across their recently reequipped workspace, Jane bent over a brightly lit table piled with electronic devices and a monitor sporting a screen cluttered with data. “Darcy, do you have the SHIELD satellite codes?” he asked as he grabbed his jacket, hurriedly putting it on as he continued through the space._

_“Yeah,” she answered dismissively as she threw a bag over her shoulder, her other hand carrying a sturdy case. “Have you seen my taser?”_

_“In the car – come on, Jane!” he beckoned as they rushed through the open glass doors. She pulled up her left sleeve so to check her watch, and grinned in anticipation._

“So they got permission from SHIELD to work on the subject then?” Bruce questioned, glancing at Coulson.

“Yes,” he replied. “With Miss Foster’s previous work and the information she acquired from Thor, we concluded that it was prudent to hire her so that we could keep an eye on her progress.”

_“Very well done indeed,” Erik praised, clapping his hands together as the agents filling the space traded documents and monitored the computers arranged on the assortment of desks in the area. “Now let’s-let’s do another simulation of the Foster Theory – and this time we’re using SHIELD as the physical record.” Another couple agents entered the locale carrying briefcases and more equipment as he instructed, “Now we cross-reference them with the SWORD database – I need another coffee, please!”_

“The what?” Steve asked.

“SWORD,” Coulson repeated.

“Which is…” Tony led, gesturing for him to continue.

“It’s an acronym for Sentient World Observation and Response Department,” he elucidated, “a sector of SHIELD for our relations with extraterrestrials.”

“Well damn, aren’t you guys quick to set things up.”

_His oration faded into the sounds of the operatives’ movements, the clear walls yielding to the sight of the evening sky outside. On top of the squat cylindrical building, underneath the neon vertical sign, footsteps accompanied the sound of Darcy’s voice uttering, “Here you go.”_

_Jane’s ‘thanks’ came from where she lay as she accepted the offering of food and drink, before setting them beside her and resuming her previous lounged position on the roof._

_“He would’ve come back if he could,” Darcy insisted._

_“I know,” she stated as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “But if he can’t get here on his own… maybe we can help him find his way back.” She leant forward and crouched over a piece of machinery that was at her feet, and with a click and a whir a blinding pale beam shot into the sky._

“We need to meet with that girl,” Tony articulated, trading a smile with Bruce.

“Is it safe for Lady Jane to come aboard this vessel?” Thor asked.

“I wouldn’t recommend moving her until we’ve secured an alliance with Loki,” Coulson stated. “She has access to a lot of sensitive information about inter-dimensionary travel, and could be used against you specifically.”

Thor nodded his understanding though his face showed dismay.

_Erik stepped warily through a dim concrete tunnel, his footsteps as well as those of an agent, who was passing him in the opposite direction, echoing off the walls. He paused at the end of the hall and glanced down the multiple passageways that led further underground._

_“Doctor Selvig,” a male voice addressed firmly._

_He turned his head and stated as he approached him, “Ah, so you’re the man behind all this? It’s quite a labyrinth.” Erik gestured vaguely to encompass the tunnels he was referring to as he walked towards the dark-skinned man waiting calmly for him with his hands clasped behind his back._

_“I was thinking, ‘They’re taking me down here to kill me’,” he continued with a shaky chortle._

“Yeah, that’s pretty sketchy,” Clint interrupted.

_Director Fury shifted his hands to the pockets of his suit pants and merely stared at him, and Erik came to a stop some distance away with an expression of uncertainty. Fury advanced towards him instead, informing, “I’ve been hearing about the New Mexico situation. Your work has impressed a lot of people who are much smarter than I am.” He came to stand in front of him._

_“I have a lot to work with,” Erik explained. “The Foster Theory, a gateway to another dimension – it’s unprecedented.” Fury tilted his head slightly and watched him consideringly with his one eye, prompting him to add, “Isn’t it?”_

_He turned and began to lead him further down the hall, announcing, “Legend tells us one thing – history, another. But every now and then we find something that belongs to both.” He circled a small pedestal where a thick, silver, armoured briefcase was placed, and unlatched it with reverence. Inside, amidst the red circuitry that locked it in place, was the Tesseract; it gleamed azure and sparked with unrestrained potential._

_Erik shook his head and asked, “What is it?”_

_“Power, doctor,” he replied with a smirk, “if we can figure out how to tap it, maybe unlimited power.”_

_He looked up, startled, before returning his gaze onto the artefact. The pane of glass alongside him that guarded a display reflected his image, as well as another figure who stepped up ‘beside’ him. Unseen in the physical world, Loki regarded the Tesseract eagerly._

_His lips stretched into a fleeting, yellowed smirk before he turned to Erik, a burn shown having ripped through the skin of his left temple to his skull, and said, “Well, I guess that’s worth a look.”_

_“Well, I guess that’s worth a look,” Erik repeated to Fury with a smile._

Pepper gasped as she held her hand to her mouth as Tony and Clint swore, Agent Coulson standing so to swiftly exit the room. 

“I guess that proves what you said about him being weakened…” Bruce said tentatively.

“Yeah, great,” Clint agreed, appalled.

* * *

“Sir,” Coulson interrupted, hastening into the room where the Director had stood arguing with four members of the World Security Council. Their debate had ceased at his entrance, and Fury raised his eyebrows at the intrusion. “This is critical,” he justified.

“What is it?” Fury asked as the agent came to a stop beside him.

The shadowed persons on-screen watched curiously as Agent Coulson swiftly began reporting information to Fury, gesturing briefly to the side of his own face. He was received with a grateful look and nod before being ushered from the area, the Director returning his attention to where they were displayed. 

“It appears the last few minutes of the demonstration were… enlightening,” he began with a smirk. “Where before the extent of Loki’s choice in taking part in the attack could only be guessed at, we now have more substantial evidence that he was more-or-less forced into the situation.

“He was injured and plainly just looked like shit when he came through that portal – he would’ve been in no condition to be making demands of anyone he came across. Whether he really wanted to win the invasion is up for debate, but what isn’t is that he’s obviously making use of the situation now presented to him. If we agree to protect him he’ll have no reason to attack us for a while, and we’ll be provided with the unique oppourtunity to advance our weaponry and defenses through use of him.

“So?” he questioned at last. “What’ll it be?”

* * *

“W-We have him here,” Thor reminded, assuring himself and his teammates of his brother’s well-being as well as starting to propose an idea. “We can ask him of how the portal affected him.”

“Would he answer?” Steve asked.

“Nothing’s been approved by the Council – he’s not obliged to cooperate yet,” Natasha pointed out.

“It’s worth a shot,” Tony announced as he stood.

They all filed out of the room but loitered outside the entrance to the bridge in confusion as Tony sauntered in. He emerged a moment later and explained with a condescending smirk, “It’s not like any of us know where his room is.”

They meandered through the halls until they came to an electronic door with an access pad on the right hand side. The sight of the device gave Tony pause, and he grimaced as he looked to the group for ideas.

“Um, should we go back and ask someone for help?” Steve queried hesitantly.

“I doubt every agent knows the code,” Bruce replied.

“Should we find Phil?” Pepper suggested.

“Who is this ‘Phil’ fellow that I keep hearing about?”

They all whirled around at the voice to find Loki standing nonchalantly at the fringe of their group. Clint swore, Bruce placed a hand over his chest as he worked to calm his pulse, and Tony shrieked, “Fuck! Give us heart attacks why don’t you?! We’re not all invincible aliens!” At their reactions, Loki’s smirk grew into a mischievous grin.

“Brother,” Thor began solemnly as he took a step closer, “are you well?”

Loki quirked an eyebrow and questioned disdainfully, “What on Asgard are you on about?”

“I did not think of the injuries… you might’ve sustained during the battle,” Thor ended quickly, his eyes looking away for a brief moment as he referred to the invasion instead of his brother’s fall. “Now that we are working towards a peace I can ask without guilt if you have healed fully.”

Loki’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at the pause before he answered in a drawl, “You need not concern yourself with my health – I’m perfectly fine.” Before Bruce could speak out and call attention to the difficulty he had observed earlier Loki continued, “What I am wondering is why you all felt the need to congregate outside my chambers.”

“Well, Reindeer Games, I don’t feel like waiting till the upper echelons of SHIELD set up a lab space to talk about your magic,” Tony rationalized with a smirk. “I hate working in safe areas – annddd I don’t like it when secret agents are watching me. You in?”

“You seem very eager, considering you might not be able to comprehend any explanations I feel inclined to provide.”

“The demonstrations will still be fantastic,” he retorted with a careless shrug.

Loki furrowed his brow slightly and titled his head to the side, wondering in curiosity, “And you all decided to come… for what reason?”

Bruce allowed a timid smile as he defended, “I’m curious about the correlation of your powers to science as well.”

The others exchanged glances before Pepper admitted, “It’s magic – it’s a concept that’s been fantasized by us for millennia, but was impossible. I think we’d just like to watch what you can do.”

It seemed as though some were scrutinizing him for a reaction, so it was easy for Loki to instantly supress his body’s desire to reel back in shock at her words when aware of their eyes. The honest interest in his magic that was evidently shared by the group, if their lack of objection to her reasoning was any indication, was such a contrast to the position of Asgard’s populace that he couldn’t stifle the emotion. Where there they went out of their way to ridicule and demean his studies, here they went out of their way to observe it?

He shouldn’t be surprised, as he had reminded Agent Coulson of the mortals’ obsession with ‘fantasy’ not too long ago as well as considering the fact that Midgardian culture is vastly different from the Ӕsir’s nowadays. Even the practices of those in the North, who still worshipped them, have evolved with the times. Standing in, or rather, residing within the jurisdiction of, a country whose women have battled against stereotypes and for their equality for a century now should have triggered his recognition of their efforts against sexist behaviour.

Of course, he doubted that they understood that that was what they were doing. Still… Their intense observation led him to be suspicious. After all, it was quite possible for Thor to have told them all about his thoughts on males who practice seidr. But if that was the case, why did his not-brother remain with them when they so obviously supported his exercising of the art?

Loki’s gaze flicked over to Thor to gauge his thoughts on the situation as he accepted, “I suppose I have the spare time to indulge your request.” His not-brother allowed a smile at his consent to the activity, and Loki narrowed his eyes.

“What’s the password then?” Tony asked, stepping aside so that he had access to the number pad.

He raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t a clue,” he replied before vanishing amidst a swirl of vapour.

Clint sneered and opened his mouth to spit out an angry response but was instantly given pause when the metal door slid to the side to permit them entrance. He shut his mouth as Loki waved them inside while saying, “Welcome to my humble abode.”

The electronic door soundlessly closed behind them as Steve said disapprovingly, “I don’t think you were locked in these quarters so you could come and go freely.”

“Agent Coulson made it clear to me that the security was for the benefit of the agents here,” Loki clarified as he sat himself in an armchair, “so that they didn’t approach me and harm themselves due to dissatisfaction with my being here.”

He received nods to his explanation as they noted their surroundings. There was a kitchenette to one side that opened into the sitting room they were in, a loveseat, couch, and couple of armchairs situated around a glass coffee table. A door was opened on one side and showed a bedroom was attached. Steve, Tony, Pepper, and Bruce settled cozily onto the couch as Clint and Natasha took the loveseat, Thor sitting in the armchair across from Loki.

“I thought you agreed not to hurt anyone?” Pepper mused innocently.

“He can talk his way out of anything,” Tony waved away. “If you read between the lines, what he actually agreed to was to play nice and not wipe out all the agents here. If provoked what’s SHIELD gonna do?

“Now, magic!” he exclaimed in excitement. “Let’s start with that illusion you did in Germany-” Better save the sensitive questions like, ‘So, that broken portal, eh? How’d you survive that?’ till he’s forced by contract to answer. “-when there were a bunch of you.”

“Ah, yes – illusions are all about the manipulation of light,” Loki began to describe. “For fleeting images, those without detail, or inanimate ones it’s easier to construct.”

“That makes sense,” Bruce nodded. “What about sound?”

“I can project my voice or a mimicry of another’s to a certain distance around me, but ventriloquism has its limitations. If I have use of an illusion that is animate, produces sound, and ‘interacts’ with its physical environment then it’s less effort to abandon the image and just create a puppet of sorts.”

“Another – physical – person?” Natasha simplified with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“So instead of it seeming like a bunch of you, there’d actually be more of you?” Steve asked in bewilderment.

“Theoretically, yes,” Loki replied. “However, such ‘clones’ require, as you can imagine, much more energy to craft and maintain. I tend to only create one or two compared to around a dozen illusions.”

“Could you show us?” Bruce asked.

He considered the request for a moment before he nodded and inhaled deeply, lowering his eyes and holding his breath before releasing it gradually. Suddenly violet strands of mist coalesced at his side before forming his image, flickering faintly once before solidifying. The clone was identical in appearance, from his bright eyes and neat dark hair to his black sleeves and leather vest, pants, and boots. He lifted himself from the arm of the chair upon which he had materialized as the original waved a hand to vanish the coffee table, moving to stand before them in the vacant space, a hand on his hip.

“Well?” the copy asked with a smirk.

“Damn,” Tony breathed as he gaped for a second before jumping to his feet and leaning into ‘Loki’s space. ‘Loki’ leaned back a bit with a sneer, and raised his eyebrows. “Sure acts like you.”

He rolled his eyes from his seat and answered, “It is simplest to fashion ‘myself’, as it were, because the control I have over him is a result of a part of my consciousness temporarily residing within him.”

“And my behaviour and attitude is natural to me, requiring much less concentration than if I had to act in another manner,” the other finished from in front of Tony. 

“A part of your consciousness?” Bruce repeated, standing as well and warily approaching the copy. “Does that mean your senses take in everything he does?”

“Yes, though muted. I can amplify it if I so desire,” Loki elaborated. “Due to the connection between our two bodies, I could move more of myself into him and thereby make this body the ‘clone’.”

“Does your control waver with distance?” Bruce asked as he circled the body, Tony reaching out to nervously poke the figure in the chest. ‘Loki’ glared at him, but averted his eyes in acceptance of being examined.

“In a manner of speaking. If he is close and I’m able to spare the attention to monitor him then I can control him from my current perspective and so limit my immersion over there to react. If he is out of my sight or we are both preoccupied with something that requires my attention then my attention is split in two and it’s as if I’m separated from both bodies and operating them as one would marionettes.”

“That’s fucking amazing,” Tony praised to pleased smirks from the two.

* * *

“The results, sir?” Agent Coulson inquired as Fury strode out of his meeting.

“You’re going to have to have a lot of paperwork drafted,” he remarked, “‘cause in the end they agreed.”

“Any concessions?”

“They’re going to be watching everything and will probably force a certain direction with questioning and testing, but nothing else.” The Director marched past him and led them towards the bridge, ordering, “I want the documents drawn up immediately and the Avengers called together and informed. Where are they?”

“In Loki’s rooms, sir.”

He paused in his determined direction and glanced back over his shoulder to see Coulson’s impassive expression, though he thought he glimpsed an amused glint in his eyes. He then propelled forward again and through the bridge, into the sector with the security monitors. “Agents!” he snapped to the small group of young males gathered around a specific monitor. At their scrambling to return to their assigned screens it was revealed that they were previously all assembled around the image displaying what appeared to be Pepper Potts, the Avengers, and two Lokis.

“Why are there two of him?” the Director drawled to the agent still seated in front of the computer.

He gulped and reported, “The Avengers approached him in order to start discussing his magic, sir. He appears to have cloned himself in a show of power.” On screen, Dr. Banner and Stark were obviously surveying the copy.

“I want to be alerted of all further magic performed on this ship,” he charged through gritted teeth.

“Yes, sir.”

He spun and exited, Coulson at his heels, calling Agent Hill over to him.

“Sir?” she asked as he led the two of them to the center of the control room and onto the large commanding platform.

“The Council has agreed to Loki’s terms,” he informed. “I want the contract in his hands to sign as soon as possible.

“Also,” he continued with a spark in his eyes, “he’ll need a living space, and I’m not sure I’m comfortable jeopardising this vessel and all the specialized agents on board. He’d need to be someplace able to financially support him, under 24-7 observation that we control or have access to, and the proper security to stand a chance of containing him if this blows up in our faces.

“How’re the repairs going on Stark’s tower?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support! This is the end of _Inverted Perceptions_ , the start of my series where The Avengers watch their own movies and it facilitates the forging of true bonds between them all.


End file.
